Bloodletting
by Iloveplotbunnies
Summary: Sequel to "Chasing the Storm". AU Pirate. "Just because Red John, O'Laughlin and Carter are dead, it doesn't mean everything died with them."
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **I think it's better if I don't own _The Mentalist_.

**Rating: **M

**Summary: **Sequel to "Chasing the Storm". AU Pirate. "Just because Red John, O'Laughlin and Carter are dead, it doesn't mean everything died with them."

*waves* I am _baaaack_. (I never really disappeared, but uh, the past few months have been extremely busy and full of things that I could not avoid.) Anyway, this is the excitedly-anticipated sequel to _Chasing the Storm_; you know, the first AU pirate story that you should probably read before attempting to read this one. :)

Anyway, I have to thank my partner-in-crime (loveconquersallxxx) for the lovely title and all of the help with this entire story. Major props also go to Frogster, who poked me into posting this.

* * *

"Where's Jane?"

Kris crossed her arms against her chest, as she leaned against one of the many railings on the Scarlet Oasis helm with the roll of her eyes. Kimball Cho and Wayne Rigsby (the two other members on the Scarlet Oasis) had ignored her question for the past six times, as it seemed that the both of them were more interested in the blueprints for the ship.

She watched Cho glance up from his navigation table. "In his office; where else would he be?"

"In hell, hopefully." Rigsby muttered and Kris moved from the railing to smack Rigsby upside the head, before he turned around to stare at her. "Hey!"

"Just let it go." Kris urged with another roll of her eyes. The men on the crew were idiots, obviously. "You're not going to change his mind. You're not going to get _anywhere _with insulting him. He _doesn't _care."

"Jane doesn't care about anyone." Cho replied with his attention still on the blueprints. "Aside from Kris, that is."

"He cares about himself also." Kris pointed out, choosing to ignore Cho's comment. "He's an egotistical bastard, who thinks the world of himself." She grinned at Rigsby, who shook his head with a scowl. "What? You can insult him, but I can't?"

"That's not the point, Kris." Rigsby argued.

"Obviously, you don't have much of a point." Kris said. "I'm allowed to insult the _Captain_, because I'm his first mate. You're allowed to insult Mashburn, because well…" Kris paused; even after being on the Scarlet Oasis crew for over a year, she still was a little confused about Walter Mashburn's purpose on the ship. While Mashburn _had _cash for their little voyages, many islands refused to accept money from well-known pirate crews anymore. "…he's Walter Mashburn, and he wears a rhinestone vest _still_."

"I actually like Mashburn." Rigsby replied. "I'm not a huge fan of the _Captain _right now." Kris huffed. For the past three months, Rigsby and Jane had been at odds with one another; and to her, it was becoming quite annoying to deal with the childish men. Rigsby refused to follow Jane's orders, Jane refused to listen to Rigsby and she was stuck in the middle; neither of the idiots realized that she actually didn't care _why _they were fighting, she just wanted them to stop. "You're just annoyed, because he's your…"

"Don't you even finish that sentence." Kris interrupted, hastily. "I'm _annoyed_, because you two can't be in the same room together. I'm _annoyed_, because you're both important in the grand scheme of things. I'm _annoyed_, because you both are grown men; so please start acting like it, before I decide to take a sword to all of you." She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. Cho kept quiet, while Rigsby turned back around to face the blueprints.

_This is ridiculous_, Kris thought, _I could get more work out of a mute parrot than Jane or Rigsby._

Red John's death (as Jane had finally managed to kill the pirate, who had killed his wife and daughter) had caused nothing but trouble for them all. Part of the reason, in her opinion, on why Rigsby and Jane hated each other had to do with the knowledge that everybody on the Scarlet Oasis was marked for death.

After the outlying islands had gotten news of Red John's demise, some of the islands had put a bounty on their heads. Apparently, nobody had wanted the evil pirate captain Red John dead, aside from the Scarlet Oasis (and the individuals affected by the Captain's domain).

With another shake of her head, the brunette first mate turned on her heels and started toward the main deck.

"Where do you think you're going, my dear?" Kris almost smacked herself. _Of course_, Jane would choose that moment to come bother them all. "Don't you want to help us fix the ship?"

She turned around to face him. "I would rather feed myself to an ocean full of flesh-eating fish than to spend another moment with you." Kris watched Patrick Jane's face light up with a smile and she scowled. "Don't you have better things to do, _Captain_?"

"Now, Kris." Jane responded, brightly. "You're just upset, because you haven't had a chance to kiss me good morning."

"No," Kris scoffed. "You just wish that was my reason."

"My, my." Jane replied. "You should go back to bed. I'm sure Cho and I can fix the ship on our own." Kris placed her head in her palms. Jane had absolutely no right inferring to _other _things, while Rigsby and Cho were nearby; they already knew more than she wanted them too and that was because of Jane. "After all, how hard can it be to fix a mast?"

"You do it then." Cho said. "I'm sick of working on it." Kris could only imagine the disaster that Jane would bring by doing the work himself; they couldn't continue to stay on Governor's Island forever, especially as someone was bound to report the Scarlet Oasis eventually.

"Now, if you'll excuse me." Kris stated. "I have a _ship _to run and you boys have a score to settle, so I'll leave you girls to that." Before they could say anything else, Kris hurried from the helm and started toward her first mate bedroom. If she could get there in enough time and lock the door, Jane wouldn't be able to bother her.

"Don't worry, Kris." She heard Jane call out from behind her. Kris didn't spare him a glance. "We'll be away from Governor's Island in a few days; everything will be fine." She shook her head. Jane was ever the optimist and his so-called feeling of _everything will be fine _didn't settle so well with her; things were _better _than fine, but they weren't completely back to normal.

Jane could ignore all of the problems on the ship: the broken mast from the Red Rum's cannon obtained from the final battle months ago, the lack of supplies due to other islands refusing to barter with them, and the worry about the hits on their heads.

But she couldn't.

Kris noticed that her clothes hadn't been fitting properly on her for some time, mainly because she didn't have the time to eat. Something was _always _going wrong with the ship when she sat down for a meal; between the leaks in the ship, the fights on the crew or the dismay that everyone still felt over Red John's death, she just couldn't get a break.

And her crankier-than-usual behavior was because of her lack of sleep. The nightmares that she had (always about Craig O'Laughlin and Patrick Jane repeatedly) made her feel weary about something, but she couldn't quite guess _what _made her feel that way. O'Laughlin was dead. Carter was dead. Red John was dead. Yet, she was casting all four men as the villains and Jane most certainly wasn't a villain.

He was just Jane.

"You need to rest, Kristina." Kris tensed at the use of her entire first name. Closer or not, she didn't like him using it. "You're running ragged and we _need _you to keep us on course."

"I'm fine." She lied.

"No, you aren't." Jane argued. She flung open the door to her neatly organized bedroom, clean of all the previous clutter and lit a candle, before Kris turned to face Jane. "Don't think I don't notice. You're not sleeping, you're not eating, hell, you're not yourself." Kris rolled her eyes.

"You just know me _so well_, don't you?"

"I am your boyfriend, after all." Kris cringed at his words. She hadn't wanted a label to their pseudo-relationship, but Jane had insisted. It made him feel _normal_, but it just made her feel nervous and ill for some reason. She _liked _Jane, but a relationship with him wasn't something that she had been wanting.

It had just happened.

Almost a fortnight after Jane had killed Red John, he had asked her out and she had said yes. With him, she felt the sickness within the pit of her stomach disappear and she realized that the _sickness _was actually guilt; she had allowed for Jane to go kill Red John on his own, without rushing in to save him and maybe her _yes _to his question was because she felt as if she owed him.

"If you keep pushing that phrase around, you'll need to add _ex_ to that sentence." Kris threatened and Jane laughed.

"You wouldn't leave me." Jane answered. "We've been through too much together. You're the only other person who understands how I feel about…" He stopped and she nodded. There were some things, even after three months, that they just couldn't talk about and Teresa Lisbon was one of them. "See, Kris. Nobody else understands."

"I know what you mean." Kris muttered, trying to keep her stomach from churning at the thought of the bloody body that she and Jane had found in the Red Rum's brig months ago. "I still think of the body and wonder…" She couldn't finish her sentence. Jane grabbed her hand. "It's a silly thought, isn't it?"

"Everybody is allowed to think of what_ if's _and the _how come's_, Kris." Jane explained; she felt his thumb circling the back of her hand. "You're just not allowed to attempt what if's or how come's. Everything, whether you want to believe it or not, is fine."

She couldn't believe him for one second.

Jane had lied _many _times before; he had also kept secrets from his previous first mate, which probably could have saved her life and Jane wanted _her _to trust his word? She almost laughed in his face.

"You need some sleep." Jane tried to pull her toward her bed and she nearly pulled out her sword. What part of _I'm fine _did the idiot not understand? "Come lie next to me and after five minutes, I'll let you up." Jane let go of her and she watched him walk over to her bed and lie down. "Come on, Kris. It's comfortable."

She threw her head back. "I'm not doing anything with you."

"I know." Jane reassured her. "I just want you to relax. You can't keep working my crew into the ground, my love." Kris ignored his jab about the Scarlet Oasis being _his _crew, as she was just too tired to care. Jane patted the spot beside him and with a sigh, she moved closer to him. "You need sleep, because we're all going to need to be at the best of our peak; especially, if we're going to stay alive and keep others safe."

As much as she loathed admitting it, Jane _was _right. The crew needed their first mate and Captain at the top of their games to sail on and if they couldn't do that (especially with a crewmember down), they would never stay alive or fix the ship.

"You're also busy with other things." Jane had lowered his voice and she nodded again. Words or thoughts weren't needed about what those _other things _were; Kris knew, Jane knew, the entire crew knew, but she was the only one who kept _trying _to make things right.

_Everyone else just hates the silence_, Kris told herself.

With a strict warning glare, Kris slid into her bed with Jane and put her head onto his chest. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. She was hungry, but she couldn't eat. She felt Jane's hand in her hair and she stilled at the foreign contact.

His heartbeat pounded into her ear and Kris smiled, faintly. The man who comforted her wasn't the same man in her dreams, who tortured the people on his crew; he wasn't the same man, who had killed Lisbon with nothing more than his bare hands and a sword.

He was _just _Jane; the man, who enjoyed labeling them and their relationship with silly titles such as boyfriend and girlfriend, even though she completely disagreed with him and had tried telling him so ever since.

Kris closed her eyes and for the first time in three months, she allowed herself to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Jane smiled faintly at the brown-haired woman pressed against him, as he continued to stare up at the yellow-tinted ceiling. He'd never admit it to her, but he _was _worried about the lack of sleep that she had been getting lately; the dark circles under her eyes and the waves of tension that continued to roll off her shoulders had been a topic of discussion between Cho and himself weeks ago.

Cho had briefly warned him about pushing Kris to her limits and he hadn't listened. Kris (much like Lisbon) always took her duties beyond and above the required standard; and if the first mate _wanted _to work herself into a fit of exhaustion, he couldn't exactly stop her. She had always been stubborn and arguing with her, in his opinion, just wasn't worth the time or the energy.

After all, they did have more things to focus on.

The aftermath of Pirate Captain Red John's demise was one of those things. Jane's smile diminished. Although, sinking the blade into the bastard's chest had felt cathartic, the action hadn't brought anything good afterwards.

Because Red John had been Governor Gale Bertram's closest "friend" and ally, the _lovely _governor had decided to condemn everyone upon the Scarlet Oasis to death. Jane had expected the declaration, as Bertram hated him anyway and the man certainly didn't like Kris either.

Kris had been the only _good _thing to come out of Red John's death. She had agreed to be with him two weeks after he had killed Red John; and to be honest, it still surprised him that she said yes. Kris had never seemed like the dating type (aside from James Bertram, who Jane hoped was never coming back) and the last time they had brought up the subject of her dating him, she had told him that _he _didn't know what he wanted.

It had only taken two weeks _after _Red John's death for him to realize that he needed Kris; she was the only female on the crew, who was mentally stable enough for a relationship. She was also the only other person, who knew how difficult it had been trying to chase after Red John to find Lisbon.

Of course, that whole journey hadn't been an easy time.

Kris had hated him; he wasn't stupid. She had taken the first mate role, because she felt that she owed her best friend. Kris had been by his side from the very beginning of the long journey to the end; and although he had done several things to her that he wasn't proud of, Kris had stuck by him even after they had found Lisbon's body.

Jane's frown deepened.

Lisbon was the one touchy subject with everyone. No one knew what to say or what to do without fighting and even though he was perfectly sure that Kris was tired of avoiding the subject, Jane knew it was best for everyone if they just moved past the events on the Red Rum.

However, moving past the events three months ago wasn't exactly easy.

The other reason for Kris's lack of sleep had been her nightmares. The brunette-haired woman had been excusing her lack of sleep as having too much to do, but he wasn't stupid; Jane knew the signs of someone having continuous nightmares and that was why he had cornered her within her bedroom. Another presence _sometimes _cut down on the nightmares and it didn't take more than a pirate captain to figure out that her nightmares were mainly about Red John.

_Who doesn't dream about Red John? _Jane quietly wondered, as he continued to stroke Kris's hair. Red John had been the hugest part of their lives on the ship and it didn't surprise him that everybody still had those dreams. On the Red Rum, he and Kris had found Rebecca's head; and that sight alone was worthy of nightmares.

Jane heard Kris mutter lightly in her sleep as she shifted away from him, but he couldn't tell what she was saying.

"Everything will be okay." Jane tried to reassure the sleeping first mate. It was a lie, of course, but nobody needed to know that. Kris was already having enough problems with the crew, especially Rigsby.

Rigsby, who for whatever reason, couldn't get over the events of three months ago. Jane had tried to remind the officer that _he _was the Captain of the ship, but Rigsby had merely scoffed and turned away to focus on something else. The constant ignoring and disrespect (almost the same behavior he had gotten from Kris, eight months ago) was grating on his nerves and if the man didn't stop it, Jane was going to remove him from the crew.

Kris said he was being childish also, but Jane disagreed. Rigsby hated him for no good reason and Jane couldn't understand why; he hadn't kicked Rigsby, Kris or Cho off the ship after he had "fired" them and he had gotten them all (with the exception of one) back to ship safely.

He felt Kris shift again and with a sigh, Jane removed himself from the bed. While Kris slept, he would go attend to the various things on the ship; he had a few things to discuss with Mashburn and Cho, but he also had one other stop to make. Snuffing out the candle with his hand, he quickly left Kris to her sleep and started back toward the main deck of the ship.

The ship hadn't changed much in three months, aside from the damage gained from the battle with the Red Rum. He had no idea to fix it, which was why he had put Cho in charge of gathering the materials to fix the ship; but they were having a minor problem getting ahold of said material, because the locals on Governor Island hadn't been so friendly to sharing a public market with a crew of wanted criminals.

Whether Kris knew it or not, the only reason why nobody on Governor's Island (so far) had turned them in was that people on the island owed him favors. Cashing in on Red John's death had never been his intention, but he had an entire crew to think about and _if _he found himself in a cell, the Governor would execute him on the spot for being the nefarious pirate who had killed Red John.

Regardless of all that though, Jane certainly didn't regret killing Red John. He also didn't regret killing Timothy Carter (the Red Rum's navigator) or Craig O'Laughlin (Red John's first mate), who had been behind Lisbon's kidnapping. Jane hadn't killed them for the praise from his own crew, he had killed them to keep them from trying to kidnap yet another member upon the Scarlet Oasis.

Aside from Lisbon, the entire crew of the Scarlet Oasis had gotten out unscathed and Jane wanted to keep it that way.

"Good afternoon, Patrick!" Jane heard Walter Mashburn greet him from behind and Jane spun around to find the rhinestone-wearing pirate sporting a rather large grin, which interrupted his dark thoughts and put him into a better mood. "Where is our dear first mate, Kristina?"

"She is finally sleeping." Jane told him and Mashburn's grin (if possible) grew.

"With you, I know." Mashburn answered. Jane shook his head; he hadn't said anything to anyone about him and Kris, but apparently the other members on the crew had figured it out. "I'm surprised you aren't with her right now. You two are usually attached at the hip." Jane shrugged. He _wanted _to be with Kris, but other things needed his attention before he could refocus primarily on her.

"I came here looking for you."

"Did you finally decide my idea of threesome was a good idea?" Mashburn questioned, before Jane rolled his eyes. He liked Walter, but the man was a little…eccentric. "No? You obviously have something else in mind then."

"I need you to go onto the island." Jane instructed him and he watched Mashburn frown. Even though he had explained to the entire crew that they were safe, nobody wanted to step foot out onto the island. "I'm concerned about something and you're the only person, who could do this job without interruption." Mashburn's brows furrowed.

"You want me to take someone along, don't you?"

Jane nodded. "You'll need money, of course. I am also going to order Lewis to join you both; he's the only person, who is equipped to handle the temper tantrums." Mashburn said nothing, which meant that the rich pirate had probably understood the order without needing to drag names through the mud. "Will you be okay with that?"

"I would rather not have Lewis tagging along, Patrick." Mashburn answered. "You know he and I don't agree with…"

"He's the only other person I trust with this job, Walter." Jane interrupted. He had known that his order would raise some derision; most of the crew preferred to work alone and an order to do something with another person never made anyone happy. Mashburn's mouth opened and Jane interrupted him again. "I'm the Captain, Walter. It's my decision on who I send out and if you disobey my order, well…" Jane shot the man a grin. "…you and Red John may share the same grizzly end." Mashburn frowned. "Are we clear?"

"I'm going to Kristina about this." Mashburn challenged and Jane rolled his eyes again.

"Kris is _sleeping_. If you wake her, you and I will have a problem." Jane informed him. "You also know what she'll tell you if you complain to her about this. She'll say _I don't care_, because she knows it's none of her business." While he and Kris had problems about agreeing on _how _to run the ship, Kris had learned to let some things go _finally_. "Now, I have business elsewhere. I'll make sure everything is ready."

Jane left Mashburn, before the man could argue his order again. He had no doubts that Mashburn wouldn't find Kris later and tell her about their conversation, but he knew she'd brush his concerns off; after all, the orders he gave his crew didn't exactly affect her or their lives (and if they did, he knew she'd be the first to raise hell).

Climbing the steps to the helm, he grinned out at the bright, blue sky and the calm weather. Jane couldn't wait until they were sailing again, as they had all been stuck on Governor's Island for longer than he had planned.

"Where's Kris?" Cho asked, as Jane approached the trusted navigator with a grin.

"Sleeping." Jane told him. "And hopefully, she'll stay that way till sunrise tomorrow. She needs her sleep." Cho shrugged, while he continued to stare down at his blueprints for the ship and Jane changed the subject. "How much longer do you think we'll be on this island?"

"Until I fix the ship." Cho answered.

Jane chuckled. "Obviously." He glanced up at the large mast. Red John's cannon had done a damn good job of screwing up any of their plans to sail away from Governor's Island, as the weather hadn't been kind enough to any of them lately to work on the mast without the fear of being struck with lightening. "If you need any more materials for the ship repair, you should tell Mashburn. He's going onto the island today."

"You're letting Mashburnonto the island and we're all being wanted for murder." Cho stated. "Seems smart."

The sarcastic barb from the navigator didn't go unnoticed by Jane, who merely chuckled in response.

"Mashburn will be safe." Jane waved the man's concern off. "He'll have Lewis to go with him, so he'll survive to see another day." Cho glanced away from the blueprints to stare at him. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"My opinion doesn't matter." Cho went back to his blueprints, while Jane continued to smile. "As far as materials go, we're fine. If I need any, I'll have Rigsby get them." Jane raised his eyebrow. "Mashburn wouldn't know what I'm looking for and Lewis has other concerns on his mind." Cho had a point. Lewis was only going as a precaution and Mashburn, while having been on the ship for nine years, probably wouldn't understand exactly what Cho needed for the ship.

"You could always ask me."

"You?" Cho stated in disbelief.

"Yes, me!" Jane replied, brightly. "I know the ins and outs of this ship, my good friend. I also know what wood the ship is made out of." Years ago, the selection of the wood and the size of the ship had been the most important thing in Jane's search for the perfect ship. He had wanted something sturdy to outrun the Red Rum, yet he also wanted something large enough for all the crewmembers without becoming a ghost ship, much like the Red Rum had become.

Cho stared at him again. "You're an idiot."

"I'm also your Captain." Jane reminded. "In case you've all forgotten again, I'm in charge around here."

"Kris should be in charge around here." Cho commented and Jane continued to raise his eyebrows.

"Whatever happened to _my opinions don't matter_?"

"They still don't matter, as you're the Captain." Cho said. "I just thought you should know what most of your crew thinks." Jane made no movement; he was aware of how the entire Scarlet Oasis crew viewed him, especially with his decisions as of late.

"And do they know I don't care?" Jane asked him. Cho remained silent. "I created the Scarlet Oasis…"

"Lisbon created the Scarlet Oasis." Cho interrupted. "You're just the figurehead; Lisbon did all of the hard work then. Kris does all of the hard work now."

"Kris is sleeping right now." Jane reminded again and Cho shrugged. Jane almost wanted to inform the man that he _had _led them all through a battle with Red John, relatively unscathed and that fixing a ship paled in comparison to that.

"So? She actually works, you don't." Jane fixed the navigator with a stare. "She also has more to deal with than you do."

"She's the first mate, not Captain."

"She's honorary captain, until you get your crap together." Cho answered. Jane furrowed his brows again. He had all of his _crap _together, what in the world was Cho even talking about? "A Captain doesn't fight with his or her crewmembers; you've been jumping down Rigsby's throat for the past three months. Rigsby helped…"

"Rigsby is angry with me, because of Lisbon."

"As he should be." Cho admitted. "You really screwed that one up." Jane nervously swallowed; he didn't want to talk about Lisbon. "I won't say anything more; Kris has probably said enough."

"Kris doesn't say anything about it." Jane lied.

"You're lying." Cho called his bluff and Jane cursed under his breath. "Kris isn't you; she's not going to let certain things slide. It's why she's honorary Captain, once again."

"My crew likes me."

"Your crew tolerates you." Cho admitted. "You killed Red John, O'Laughlin and Carter. It took you nine years to kill Red John; the crew is tired of chasing after your demons, but they keep you around, because Kris asks them to." Jane crossed his arms against his chest, as leaned against the railing of the helm. "Maybe you've forgotten, Jane, but you're the reason why Lisbon was kidnapped."

Jane scowled, as his stomach tensed. He didn't want to be reminded about _why _Lisbon had been kidnapped. O'Laughlin had been running off his own insane agenda (prompted by Red John's sick need to up the game) that kidnapping Lisbon had been easy for him, especially as the damned woman hadn't listened to his order to stay with Mashburn eight months ago.

"And you're the reason she's the way she is now." Jane shot back at Cho, who merely shrugged in response. "If you and Rigsby had shot…"

"Yeah, we didn't shoot O'Laughlin." Cho admitted. "But our attentions weren't on two hookers or a glass of mead either." Jane glanced down at the deck for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Maybe things would have turned out differently, but regardless, this is your fault."

"It's O'Laughlin's fault too."

"O'Laughlin just had good opportunity, because you were an idiot." Cho replied. "O'Laughlin also wasn't the Captain, you were." Jane said nothing. "And if Kris had been Captain, Lisbon would have never gone off on her own."

"You don't know that."

Cho blinked. "Yeah; maybe I don't, but it's a good predication anyway."

"Kris isn't captain material, so you know." Jane stated. Kris was smart, but she didn't have the common sense it took to become captain of a pirate ship. She hadn't had the material eight months ago when Lisbon had been kidnapped by O'Laughlin, and she most certainly didn't have it now. "She's still temporary first mate."

"And you're captain material?" Cho asked and Jane nodded. "Could have fooled me."

"I caught Red John." Jane said. "If that isn't captain material, I don't know what is."

"Red John would have caught you in a year." Jane narrowed his eyes. Was Cho calling Red John a better captain? While Red John had been one to kill and torture various members of his crew throughout the years, Jane had never laid a hand on one of his male crewmembers. "Red John had Lisbon for five months; and look what that did for her."

"Have I ever treated you badly, Cho?" Jane questioned.

"No, but you've hurt everyone else." Cho responded. "And I care about everyone else too. I don't want Kris to become your new Lisbon." Jane kept his eyes narrowed. Cho had absolutely no right to compare Kris to Lisbon and Lisbon to Kris; both women were completely different and he had never treated either of them badly. Lisbon worked hard, but Kris didn't deserve the disrespect of being labeled as Lisbon.

Cho's comment filled him with rage.

"You can get angry all you want, Jane." Cho continued, as Jane tried to keep from punching him. "It doesn't change the facts. You're grooming Kris to become another Lisbon." _Grooming? _Jane clenched his fists together. Kris was fine the way she was; he didn't want her to turn into any form of Lisbon.

"That's not going to happen." Rigsby's voice interrupted them both from behind. Jane slowly turned to glance at Rigsby, who seemed ready to jump between them both. "When Kris has enough of your antics, she'll walk away from you. Kris isn't as loyal as Lisbon was." He rolled his eyes. "She'll be loyal to you, until you do something to break her loyalty; and let me tell you, Jane." Rigsby paused to scowl. "You're doing a fine job of that."

"She won't leave me." Jane said with a smile. "Kris isn't Lisbon."

"She'll never truly love you like you want her to." Rigsby ignored the Lisbon comment. "She's only loved like that once in her life and if it comes down to it, you'll always be her second choice."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Rigsby."

Rigsby scoffed. "She's never talked to you about James, Jane? Her face lights up when she talks about him, her face darkens when we discuss you." Jane didn't believe that for a moment. Kris enjoyed his company; she especially enjoyed his company in bed. "You keep on living in your delusions, Jane. See where that gets you."

"Living in delusions almost got Lisbon killed." Jane threw back. "Trusting you two certainly almost put a nail in her coffin."

"Then let's hope, for your sake, that he never comes back for her." Rigsby argued and Jane said nothing. "If you weren't the captain right now, I'd kill you. Kris would let me, especially if she heard you talking about Lisbon like this."

"He won't come back for her; he doesn't love her."

"And you do?" Cho asked. Jane nodded in agreement. "You have a funny way of showing it."

"Yeah," Rigsby agreed. "Working her to death is showing love. Was lifting a hand to Lisbon showing love too?" Rigsby deserved to be punched in the face for his words, but Jane knew Kris wouldn't approve if it happened; Rigsby, after all, was apparently important to Kris (even though he couldn't understand why).

"I've never hurt either of them." Jane denied the accusation. "I've only ever given Lisbon a home and have ever only loved Kris. You have nothing to prove otherwise."

"I'm sure if I asked Lisbon…" Rigsby started.

"And you really think she would have ever answered you honestly?" Jane asked. "Why would you want to do that to someone, who you called your _friend_? You're no better than me." Rigsby glanced at the deck and Jane smirked. "Not so tough now, are you?"

"At least I've never hit a woman." Rigsby snarled back. "I've also never treated one like complete shit, you…"

"Oh, get over it." Jane answered. "You're just angry, because Lisbon wants nothing to do with you."

"At least I don't act like Red John." Rigsby stated. "Did you take over his persona when you killed him, Jane? Because at this point, Lisbon might have been better off with O'Laughlin." Jane had his sword pressed against Rigsby's chest. "Go ahead and kill me, Jane. I'm sure Kris will have you on the ground, before you can apologize."

"Don't you _ever _compare me to Red John again."

"Start treating women with respect, and we'll stop." Cho replied. "You're no better than anyone else, Jane."

"I'm better than Red John and O'Laughlin."

"That remains to be seen." Rigsby muttered and Jane removed his sword from Rigsby's chest, only to push past the crew officer with a sneer and escape down the helm stairs. He didn't want to hear it anymore; Rigsby and Cho knew nothing about Lisbon or Kris. They thought everything was just _so _simple, when in fact; nothing was simple; not since he had killed Red John, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **All respective rights belong to Bruno Heller, CBS, etc…I'm just playing around in the pretty sandbox.

Thanks to Frogster and Loes-chan for the reviews! You both shall be getting a response shortly!

* * *

"You better have a good reason for waking me up, Rigsby." Kris greeted in false irritation, as she allowed the dark haired pirate to step into her room. Rigsby had been knocking at her door for the past five minutes and she had tried to ignore it, but he had just refused to go away. "I was in the middle of a good dream." He shut the door behind him, before he ran his hand through his dark hair and gave a sigh. "What's wrong?" Exhaustion or not, she cared about her friends and Rigsby had never seemed so out of sorts before.

"It's Jane." Rigsby responded and Kris nearly rolled her eyes. "You told me to keep you aware of Jane's stupidity, Kris." She had. Post-Red John, Jane had become a "changed" man; he spent hours alone within his quarters, he rarely spoke to the lesser crewmembers and his appetite had decreased significantly. As his _significant other _(she hated the term _girlfriend _with a burning passion) and his first mate, she worried about the mental strain that Red John's demise had brought him. Jane kept saying he was _fine_, but his actions spoke quite the opposite. "He's decided to send Mashburn and Lewis onto Governor's Island with Lisbon."

Kris furrowed her brows. "What business do they have there?" It probably wasn't any of her business as Jane _was _the Captain, but she had been pushing for Jane to send Lisbon on Governor's Island for weeks and he had said no every time. "I'm not saying she shouldn't go, as she's in okay health, but Jane's been awfully protective of her." Not that she could blame him. Red John's dirty trick of making them _think _Lisbon had died had struck fear into all of them, especially after Jane had found her in Red John's bedroom. Kris closed her eyes for a minute.

_"If the bastards weren't dead, I'd kill them again." _Jane had sworn after Rigsby had set Lisbon down on her bed; the large bed, sitting on the floor within the small room, had absolutely swallowed the ex-first mate. Of course, Kris had agreed with him and his statement. Every inch of Lisbon's skin (in the thigh-hugging, cleavage-exposing torn black dress that someone—most likely, Carter—on the Red Rum had dressed her in) had been discolored black and blue, angry red welts had decorated her legs and arms, and the woman had been _much _skinner than Kris had remembered her ever being.

The Red Rum had done a great amount of damage to her best friend, and her best friend refused to tell them _exactly _what had happened during her five months on the ship. After Lisbon had awoken from her unconscious and near-death state, she had remained mute on the topics of O'Laughlin, Red John, Carter and whatever tortures they had subjected on her body. Jane, even for all he was worth, hadn't been able to get a straight answer of whether or not any of the males on the ship had touched Lisbon. It wouldn't have surprised either of them though (especially with Carter on the ship), if something sexual had gone down and Lisbon was afraid of being touched again.

"…Jane wants Lisbon to go and get checked out by a healer." Kris blinked in response. Rigsby was complaining about the _one _good thing that Jane had done for the past two months; and if they were both thinking about the same person, Lisbon most definitely needed to see _somebody_. While Lisbon had been able to move around on the ship and do little tasks (the woman had mostly been instrumental in writing down the materials Cho needed on the island), the lack of weight gain had stinted her chance of regaining her first mate position for at least another six months. "He's asking Lewis and Mashburn to accompany her."

"That's because Lewis, for the lack of a better word, _is _her handler." Kris responded, as she brought her arms against her chest. "Mashburn is being sent, because he has money. Do you have something against Lisbon getting better, Rigsby?" The question was a low blow, and she waited for him to say something in objection to her remark.

"No! Why would I have anything against her getting better?" Rigsby clarified and Kris said nothing. "I just don't trust Lewis." And there was the problem: Rigsby's dislike of Lewis Charles. For whatever reason, Rigsby had venomously disagreed when Jane had assigned the dusty-blonde haired crewmember with the important role of helping Lisbon recover. Lisbon had yet to complain about the crewmember's continuous presence in her life, which meant Rigsby was merely overreacting or acting out against Jane's orders. "Jane could have sent Cho, me, you…"

"Cho is busy fixing the ship, in case you've forgotten." Kris reminded. "We're running on borrowed time by staying on this island, Rigsby." Rigsby kept quiet. "And while you may not be busy, Lisbon doesn't need someone hovering over her. How can she recover from what happened if we keep breathing down her neck?" It was a half-truth. Kris cared about Lisbon and she wanted her best friend to get better, but bringing up the past _every time _they were alone with her was only going to do so much. Lisbon probably didn't want to remember her time on the Red Rum and the sooner they all stopped drudging up the past five months, the sooner Lisbon could deal with all of the changes. "Lastly, Jane wouldn't have sent me. He's still reeling from Lisbon's disappearance and as far as we're all concerned, I still have a target being painted on my back."

Rigsby frowned. "You can take care of yourself."

"Lisbon could take care of herself also, and look what happened." Kris pointed out, dryly. "Just because Red John, O'Laughlin and Carter are dead, it doesn't mean everything died with them." Paranoid or not, Jane had a valid point. Red John would not have spent _years _perfecting his own crew, only to have Jane kill him and not do anything to get back at the person (or the persons) who did it. "I'm honestly surprised that nobody from Governor's Island has tried to kill any of us yet, especially as we're on an island that publically supported Red John." Aside from the small trips out onto the island, nobody had yet to approach their ship and try to kill them. "Jane doesn't believe Red John's supporters would go after you, Cho or Mashburn. He believes they'll either try and finish the job Red John started with Lisbon or take a new target: me." The silence brought on by her response strained past a few seconds, until she smiled slightly and continued. "I wouldn't worry about it though, Rigsby. Red John had his chance to kill us all and he didn't." Rigsby continued to fix her with a concerned stare and she shook her head. "Jane has put stricter restraints on all of us, Rigsby, which is why I'm not worried. Someone is always guarding the ship at night and before we can leave the ship, we need to be in a group of three. Jackass or not, Jane does care about his crew and ship."

Rigsby scoffed and Kris eyed him. "If he cared, he wouldn't have plans to keep you tied down." Kris's confusion turned to irritation. "He also wouldn't have compared you to Lisbon, which I…"

"He did _what_?"

"He insists he's Captain-material, because he killed Red John." Rigsby brushed her question aside, much to Kris's chagrin. "Cho told him you would have never allowed Lisbon off the ship and Jane said nobody knew that." Kris gritted her teeth and uncrossed her arms. Out of all the _stupid _conversations that the officers of the crew had, the conversation Rigsby was relaying was one of the most ridiculous she had ever heard. "I stepped into the conversation and told Jane…" Rigsby paused and Kris fixed him with a dark stare.

"What did you tell him, Rigsby?"

"It's nothing." Rigsby answered, suddenly nervous. Kris didn't believe that for a moment.

"_Sure _it is." Kris reassured him. "Because talking about me and Lisbon is absolutely "nothing"; you guys are _pirates _and you spend half of your time chatting about unimportant matters. Mind your own damned businesses."

"He denied that he's hurt you or Lisbon." Rigsby argued. "You can't tell me he's not lying."

"Yes, I can." Kris lied. Jane had hurt her once, but she wasn't about to tell Rigsby when or how it had happened. "I don't know if he's ever hurt Lisbon. I just know he's never hurt me." Rigsby stared at her in disbelief. "If Jane hurt me, do you really think he would be living right now? I know how to use my sword for something other than wood carving." Rigsby chuckled. "You think that's funny? Really? You're in hot water also, buddy."

"What? I was only coming to your defense." Rigsby defended his actions.

"You talked about _my _business and from the sound of it; you were going to mention things that you shouldn't have." Kris fixed him with a stern glare.

"I only mentioned…" Rigsby fell silent.

"What did you say?" Kris asked and Rigsby looked away. "Tell me the truth, as your first mate."

Rigsby quickly glanced down at the ground. "I mentioned James."

Kris shook her head. "Why in the world would you do that? You have no right talking about someone you don't know."

"I wanted Jane to stop using you."

"For what?" Kris put her hands on her hips. "If you don't think I can take care of myself, Rigsby, you have problems." Rigsby kept his mouth shut. "Oh, so now you choose to remain silent? I should make you apologize to Jane." Rigsby's head shot up and his mouth opened in objection. "Calm down. I'm not going to do that; I have better things to do with my time, like sleep." Rigsby frowned. "I want you and I to discuss Jane, but solving the problem of gossiping is not what I'm about to do. Some of us," she continued to stare at him, "just need to learn how to remain silent."

Rigsby nodded. "I'm sorry, Kris. Jane just irritates the hell out of me."

"He irritates the hell out of me too, but you don't see me waking up half the ship in crisis." Kris dryly responded. "I wish you two would move on. We have Lisbon back, be thankful. You three idiots almost caused her to be killed, so work it out or I will put an end to it."

"Lisbon would have done it differently." Rigsby muttered.

"She'd yell at you. I'm sure if she was aware of the problems you three are causing, she'd be on top of you all." Kris responded. "And don't start comparing us either. I'd like to think you're better than Jane, in some form." Rigsby stared. "Do you have anything else to add? If not, I have a Captain I need to go wrangle."

"No." Rigsby answered.

"Good," Kris brightly said. "Now, go do your job. I'm sure you have something important to be doing." Kris watched Rigsby turn on his heels and leave the room, before she followed him out. With a shake of her head and roll of the eyes, Kris hurried to the helm; the last thing she wanted was for Jane to burn down the ship with his carelessness.

Kris heard Jane, before she saw him.

"…and Wainwright said, "Red John likes to bed seagulls, who are drunk." He then fell over, which didn't surprise me. He was on something and..." Kris blanched. What in the _world _was Jane talking about?

"Why do you feel the need to tell such creepy stories?" Kris interrupted him, as she caught sight of him and Cho. "I think Cho has more important things to do than to stand around and listen to your pointless Governor story." Cho nodded in agreement.

"You're supposed to be sleeping."

"And you're supposed to be Captaining this ship, without starting fights with your officers." Kris threw. "But yet, neither of us do what we're supposed to be doing. I was awoken by Rigsby, what stopped you from being a good captain though?" Jane stared at her and grimaced in response. Losing her temper with Rigsby wouldn't have done anything, aside from continue the endless battle between Rigsby and Jane; but she had absolutely no problems picking a fight with Jane, who had practically ruined her sleep with his lack of decorum.

"Of course, Rigsby told you. I'm not surprised." Jane said and Kris rolled her eyes. "Did he tell you _how _the conversation started…?"

"I don't give a damn." Kris interrupted again. "You two are grown men, start acting like it." Kris watched Jane roll his eyes. "Don't you roll your eyes at me, you idiot. You're the reason why I'm in such a horrible mood and I think you should pay for what you've done."

"How about I pay in a million kisses?" Kris watched Jane step closer, until they were inches apart. "No? How about I get you in my bed, take off your clothes and…"

"And this is helping how?" She brought her arms against her chest. "Control your sexual urges, Jane. I'm trying to guide the crew."

"Well, I need some guiding of my own." Jane whispered into her ear. Kris narrowed her eyes, as she felt his hand ghost her waist. There was obviously a time for what he wanted, but before they could do any of that, she had work to finish. "How about we skip the pleasantries and skip straight to the…" Before his fingers could dip below the waistband of her pants, she stomped on his foot. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"You're not getting anything from me, until you apologize to Rigsby." Kris replied. "You want my body, you'll say sorry."

Jane blinked. "You can't do that."

"Of course, I can. I controlled my sexual urges way before you came into the picture, Jane." Kris nearly rolled her eyes at his lack of decorum again toward the subject. She and Jane hadn't been intimate togetherfor a few weeks and while it was driving her up the wall, Jane was going stir crazy with pent-up sexual desire. "And I will control them long after you're gone too." Jane made a face. "You can make faces all you want; it doesn't change my decision that you need to apologize to Rigsby."

"I did nothing wrong." Jane argued, as he brought his arms against his chest. "Rigsby came after me, while I was having a private conversation with Cho. If anything, Rigsby should be punished for his disrespect."

"And subordination?" Kris questioned and Jane nodded. "Do you think you're going to get anywhere by threatening to throw people in the brig? Come on, Jane. I'd like to think that you're smarter than that." Kris paused at the grimace on Jane's lips. "Or I could be wrong too."

"Rigsby doesn't listen to me."

"Probably because he's mad at you." Kris pointed out. "Not that I could blame him; you tried to throw all of us off the ship. You also keep blaming him and Cho for Lisbon's kidnapping, when really, it's O'Laughlin's fault. And, can you hold a grudge against a dead man?"

"Yes." Jane adamantly argued. Kris stared at him. Was Jane _that _dense? Dead men couldn't apologize. "O'Laughlin took my first mate away and I liked her." Kris furrowed her brows. "I like you too; Kris, but I've known Lisbon for nine years. We have a history."

"Congratulations on your history; I don't see how this pertains to us _or _Rigsby." Kris brought him back on task. "You also have a history with Rigsby, which you're completely ignoring. Either be his Captain or I'll take over." Jane scoffed, before he burst out laughing. Kris narrowed her eyes. "What in the hell are you laughing at? Your face?"

Jane continued to speak, through his laughter. "You. Captain? Don't make me laugh, there's no way."

"And why not?" Kris questioned, annoyed at his laughter. "I think the crew actually likes me." That shut Jane up. "You keep complaining about Rigsby. I'll be his Captain; that way you two will stop bickering like a married couple." Jane said nothing. "What? Don't like the notion that I could be a better captain than you? Or are you just jealous that I'll be spending more time with Rigsby, who is also single."

"You won't leave me." Jane replied.

"How do you know?" Kris inquired. "Rigsby doesn't annoy me, like you do. He also doesn't cause fights like you do."

Kris watched Jane's lips lift into a sly smile. "I just know."

"Like you knew where Red John was? Like you knew where Mashburn kept his spare change? Like you knew where we were going last week?" Kris shook her head. Jane knew nothing, once again. "I could leave you tomorrow and not feel a pang of guilt." Her stomach twisted and she tried to keep her face blank. "I do have other prospects on the horizon. You're not the only man, who has bought me drinks." Jane raised his eyebrows. "Oh, please. Don't tell me you were the one who sent the rum to me the other day, especially while you were in the bathroom."

"What?" Jane asked.

"Did you just assume I bought that myself, after you were finished?" Kris asked, in surprise. Jane nodded, almost sheepishly. "With what money? Mashburn won't give me anything, because I'm with you."

"It could have been poisoned." Jane was back to his paranoid self. "We're on Governor's Island, not Jubilee. Do you know how many Red John...?"

"You and I have discussed this, Jane." Kris interrupted. "If anybody wanted me dead, they would have killed me already. Red John's minions aren't stupid enough to lie in wait." She rolled her eyes. "Also, in case it missed your notice, I'm still alive. I had a horrible headache the next morning, but hey, it's rum."

"I bet Mashburn bought it." Jane scowled. "Smug bastard; he's always buying people with his money."

"I think he's caught himself a new romantic interest." Kris shyly responded and Jane stared at her. "I'm not his type. He prefers brunettes, who have just gone through recent traumas."

"_Lisbon? _Mashburn is interested in _Lisbon_?" Jane almost seemed jealous, which made Kris roll her eyes. If he had wanted Lisbon, he should have gone to her. "What in the world would Walter Mashburn want in Lisbon?"

Kris stared at him. "You're drunk, aren't you? Have you seen her?" She didn't wait for him to respond. "Who _wouldn't _want her? You missed that ship a long time ago, so suck it up and deal with it. You have me."

"Unfortunately." Jane teased, lightly and she felt his hand against her waist again. "I'm surprised to hear that Lisbon's up to that."

"She has recovered, just so you know." Kris said. "I don't know where you've been in the past few weeks, but she's been getting along okay." Kris watched Jane wink, and she silenced him before he could make a dirty comment. "Oh, I remember where you've been. Trying to get into my pants, like every other day."

"I can't help it, Kris." Jane gave. "I'm just a lonely man, looking for some companionship."

"How many times have you that one?"

"Enough to know it never works." Jane reassured her with a laugh, before he changed topics again. "Anyway, if you want to captain Rigsby…go ahead. You won't last a day, but it'll be fun to watch."

"Is this because I'm a woman?"

Jane blinked again. "You're the _first mate _of the Scarlet Oasis. If this was because you were a woman, I wouldn't even have you on the ship." Kris eyed him. "You and Lisbon are just as good, if not better, than any other man on this crew. So, don't you think this has to do with you or your gender."

"I don't believe you, Jane." Kris challenged.

"If I thought you couldn't handle yourself, Kris, I wouldn't have allowed for Lisbon to bring you onto the ship." Well, that was a new one. "It just takes a lot to captain a ship or to captain a person."

"If Red John or O'Laughlin could do it, I'm sure I can do it." Jane's scowl grew darker. "What? It's the truth. O'Laughlin was the first mate of Red John's ship, and look how stupid he ended up being."

"When Lisbon found him, he wasn't that stupid." Jane commented, darkly and Kris stared at him in surprise again. Jane had never willingly discussed O'Laughlin's stay on the Scarlet Oasis. "Lisbon found O'Laughlin in a pirate bar on this island; the very one we last visited. She thought he looked down on his luck and brought him back to me, where he proceeded to cause problems."

"For you." Kris added. "You can't get along with anyone."

"If you knew Craig O'Laughlin back then, you would have understood."

"I'm not him now."

"I know you aren't, Kris." Jane reassured her. "However, I'm making a point. Don't automatically assume everyone is stupid; sometimes, they will surprise you."

"Much like O'Laughlin?"

"Much like O'Laughlin." Jane agreed. "I can't say I liked him from the very beginning either, unlike you. I took to you immediately, as I argue with the people I like."

"And you haven't left yet." Kris gave with a fake sigh. "I feel cheated." Jane chuckled and Kris joined him; regardless of the doubts she still had about their relationship, it was a good one. Jane respected her boundaries (for the most part) and oddly, they did work together well. If someone had told her nine months ago that she would be in a relationship with the jackass pirate captain Patrick Jane, she would have asked the individual if they had lost their mind.

"How much work do you have left to do for today?" Jane asked, after he had stopped his chuckling. Kris eyed him; it wasn't even midday, and he was asking how much of _his _work she had left for the rest of the day. "It's not because I'm trying to throw more work at you. I'm honestly suggesting that you and I take the afternoon off, as our work will still be there come this evening."

"Well," Kris retorted, dryly, "that's a relief. I actually thought you were going to give me even _more _pointless work to do."

"No more pointless work this afternoon, my dear." Jane reassured her. "I want some private time for just you and me—no business, no crewmembers, _just us_." Kris bit her lip. Jane's idea was extremely tempting. "I'll order that no one interrupts us, unless the ship is under attack…"

"Okay." Kris finally agreed. She watched a large grin spread across Jane's face, before he turned on his heels and hurried over to Cho, who had taken to completely ignoring their conversation.

_Everything will be fine for a few hours_; she tried to soothe her nerves. While Jane had been off brooding within his quarters, she had been the one to oversee everything on the ship; if a crewmember was injured, she was the first person to deal with the aftermath. If someone had a problem on the ship, she was the first person who anyone told and for the most part, the crew had seemed happier under her leadership. Jane was the _only _person unhappy, and his behavior hadn't surprised her one bit. When she had been on the ship under Jane and Lisbon, Jane disliked anyone who stole his metaphorical thunder and Lisbon, whether she knew it or not, had stolen his many times.

"I've given Cho strict orders to relay our wishes to be left alone for the rest of the afternoon." She felt Jane's hand on her own and she smiled shyly. "Come on. I want to get started, before someone does decide to attack the ship."

Kris snickered. Only Jane would believe that someone was purposely going to ruin his free afternoon. "Come on, Jane. I'd like to feel something, preferably you, before sundown." Jane said nothing else, as the two left the helm and entered the dark, warmth of his quarters. Kris shut the door behind her, before she felt his lips at her neck; soft and warm, until he had her shirt discarded onto the floor and her back pressed against the hardwood of the door within his quarters.

"You look beautiful like that." Jane muttered to her, between kisses. "If I knew other men wouldn't admire you like that, I'd ask that you leave your shirt off." She felt his warm lips move against her skin and she shivered slightly; the man knew _exactly _what she wanted and how she wanted it, she'd give him that.

"Shut up and help me out of my clothes." Kris ordered and she watched Jane nod, as she felt his hands slide past the waistband on her pants and with a grin, she threw her head backwards.

_It's been too long_, she thought, _way too long_.

* * *

Readjusting his white shirt, Jane slid into the chair behind his desk and fought back a yawn, as he waited for Lewis Charles to speak. Lewis stood before him with his arms crossed against his chest and Jane almost regretted his decision of allowing the young man into his office; the blonde's body language screamed bad news and as much as he cared about Lisbon, Jane didn't want to deal with any more bad news.

Unbeknownst to Kris, who had left his bedroom hours before Lewis had shown up; the ship was taking on small amounts of water beneath the brig, due to age. It wasn't anything to be concerned about, as the Scarlet Oasis had taken on massive amounts of water before and had sailed on just fine, but as they had all been blind sighted enough in the past year; he didn't want to take the chance of the ship sinking at all.

"How did the visit go?" Jane asked the crewmember.

Lewis shrugged, nonchalantly. "She's dangerously underweight."

"We all knew that." Jane responded with a frown. Lisbon's lack of appetite hadn't been the _only _problem going for the ex-first mate, but it was a good place to start. "Did she explain why she hadn't been eating?" The crew had gone beyond and above their current rations of food to provide Lisbon with anything and everything she desired, but she refused to eat anything unless she prepared it herself.

"She did." Lewis admitted and Jane shifted in his seat, holding his breath in anticipation. "You're not going to like the answer, Captain."

"It doesn't matter," he lied, "I still want to know why." Lewis's small smile became a frown.

"Red John rarely provided her with food and when he _did_, she spent days ill." Jane continued to stare at Lewis. "She's afraid someone is trying to poison her." He clenched his fists together. Lisbon had left the Red Rum three months ago and she _still _thought someone was trying to kill her? Red John was dead, as were O'Laughlin and Carter; and she was _safe _on the Scarlet Oasis. "I was informed to tell you that her behavior is perfectly normal."

"It's _normal_?" Jane asked with his eyebrows raised. "She doesn't do a damned thing, but just stare at the wall." Her lack of work had been another touchy subject. He wanted her better, as they needed another crewmember to make up for both Lisbon _and _Lewis. "Did you tell the healer that we're pressed for time?"

"I did; but he said you can't heal the mind. He gave her something to fix her lack of appetite and I have a feeling," Jane watched a small smile spread across Lewis's face, and he instantly felt better. "We'll see a _much _different Teresa Lisbon around here from now on."

"Thank you, Lewis." Jane said with a genuine smile. "Can I speak with Lisbon now?" Lewis nodded and left the office for a moment, before the longhaired woman stepped back into his office. Jane stared at her with a bright smile, trying to ignore how her clothes hung off her and how fragile she seemed. "Good afternoon, Lisbon. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Captain." Lisbon responded, quietly and Jane's smile grew. "How are you today, sir?" Her green eyes locked onto his.

"I'm doing excellent, Lisbon." Jane answered and he watched her head move slightly. "I heard your healer visit went well."

"It did, sir." Lisbon replied. "Thank you for allowing Lewis to take me." Jane ignored the small amount of guilt he felt at her words. If he hadn't been busy, he would have taken her himself. He kept quiet for a moment, as he surveyed her: this Lisbon and the Lisbon he had last talked to eight months ago had minor differences. Aside from the health and weight issue, his Lisbon of eight months ago would have killed him for even _suggesting _the healer (which was why he had kept taking Lisbon to the doctor after O'Laughlin had shot her quiet). But this Lisbon—the one, who stood before him with her head tilted toward the ground—had only thanked him for the suggestion.

It troubled him, highly.

Part of what attracted him to Lisbon _was _her fiery personality. And now that O'Laughlin had stripped her of it, he could only stare at her and wonder the _what if's_; but like he had told Kris, you can think it all you want, but you can't act on it. He and Kris _were _happy together and he wasn't about to flip-flop back and forth between the two. They both deserved better than that.

"Did you need anything else, Captain?" Lisbon questioned.

Jane nodded. "I did. I need you to swab the deck." He watched her bite her lip, as her green eyes grew wide at the request. Her apprehension didn't surprise him though, because Lisbon hadn't done much of anything for the past three months, aside from lay around in her bed.

"Okay, sir." That _did _surprise him. Jane blinked twice. Had _Teresa Lisbon _just agreed to do something on the ship? "I will get started right away." He watched her turn on her heels, when he called out to her again. "Yes, sir?"

"Is everything alright, Lisbon?" Jane asked her. "Are you sick?" The entire crew had gotten so used to working around Lisbon that her newfound work ethic made him wonder _exactly _what the healer had done to her.

"I'm fine, Captain." Lisbon said with a small smile. "I just feel the need to get back to work and help my Captain." Jane beamed. Lisbon was the only person who treated him with the respect he deserved, which was why he could tolerate her doing absolutely nothing for three months.

"Good work, Lisbon." Jane complimented and he watched her start to leave the room, the smile still on his face. "If you keep this up, Lisbon, you might get your position back."

"I plan on it, sir." Lisbon gave, before she disappeared completely from his sight. Jane continued to grin; if the healer visit had put _that _much life back into Lisbon, he had no problem with her continuing the visits until they left the island. Once Lisbon was _better_, he could return the first mate position to her and Kris would be free to spend more time with him. Selfish or not, the first mate and captain weren't supposed to date for a reason.

It was a conflict of interest, and yet, they had thrown all the rules to the wind.

With Red John gone, Jane could date whomever he wanted. He could fall in love and lust after whomever he wanted. While Red John's theories weren't dead, the men who continued to carry them out were and because of that, Jane was _free _to live and love again. He closed his eyes.

_Angela and Charlotte would have liked Kris_, Jane thought with a small smile, _but they also would have liked Lisbon. _

And there-in lied the problem.

He was in love with both women.

For the better part of the last ten years, Jane had been able to hide his love and affection for Lisbon. The woman had followed him everywhere, had helped him out of the darkest of situations and at the end, she had made it easier to kill Red John by being kidnapped. Five months of torture versus nine years of suffering was worth it, in order to meet their end goal: the death of Red John.

Of course, he hadn't anticipated on Lisbon becoming so…wooden. Whether anybody on the crew agreed or not, he _enjoyed _the fight and now that Lisbon was semi-mute, fighting with her wasn't important.

And without the fight, she was boring.

_Yes, sir _and _no, Captain_ were only entertaining for so long and while he _appreciated _being respected, he needed the kindle. Without that spark, she was just another person.

_Lewis has done such a good job so far_; Jane complimented the young crewmember silently, _but hopefully he can rekindle her fire. _

Kris, on the other hand, _wasn't _another person.

She was a charming, sexy and amazing woman, who he had never quite expected himself to fall in love with. But he wasn't stupid; and she reminded him every day that they should have never worked out for various reasons.

Kris had been the only daughter of David and Jenna Saffron, the rich socialites of Manse Island. David and Jenna had "spoiled" her with gorgeous gown after gown, until David had been instructed by Red John to _make her join the Red Rum_ (something Red John had told him, before he had plunged his sword into the man's heart). Thus, the beautiful ballroom gowns disappeared and in place, remained the welts and the scars from David's whip. Young and foolish, Kris tried to escape the punishments by falling in love with the Governor's son, James Bertram.

Jane frowned. James Bertram was the _only _topic that Kris refused to discuss, which he couldn't understand. The two had left on somewhat good terms (from what he could understand), before David set Kris up with Timothy Carter.

"_She thinks he hates her, Mr. Jane." _Red John had said, with the sword pressed up against his neck on the Red Rum. _"But truth be told, if Kristina had just joined me and my ship; her father would have been proud of her again." _

Red John's words had filled him with rage.

How could anybody manipulate the love of a father and daughter just for their own personal gain? Kris had _scars_, because of her father's easily manipulated will and even years after everything had happened, Kris was still reluctant to show off _any _inch of her skin in the bright lights.

Bitterly, Jane threw his fist down against his desk and he heard it groan under his pressure.

Of course, he could have never imagined practically selling his daughter to Red John. It was inhumane and something his father (if still alive) probably would have tried.

_Maybe if I told Kris about my father, she'd open up a little bit more about her past_. Jane mused, silently. The last person he had discussed Jane Senior with had been Lisbon years ago, mainly because she _understood _bad father figures better than Rigsby or Mashburn had. Lisbon had heard his story, shared one of her own (the last night she had shared with her father and three brothers), and over a mug of rum, they had agreed to _never _discuss their family situations again. For Lisbon, it had just been too raw and painful. For him, he couldn't have his father (or past, outside Red John killing his wife and child) blind sighting his hunt for Red John.

So, in hindsight, he and she weren't even _supposed _to end up together and their relationship most certainly wasn't supposed to work.

Kris was a pirate by convenience, trying to escape from her demons _and _from her past.

He was a pirate by no choice, having felt the need to end Red John's pitiful life _because _the spineless bastard had come after his wife and child.

And yet…

He smiled, softly.

Both of them had found each other, and that meant something…didn't it?

With a small nod of his head, he decided it did which made _all _of the difference.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **I own absolutely nothing, aside from the characters of Kristina Saffron and Lewis Charles.

Thanks to Frogster and Loes-chan for the reviews! :D They are very much appreciated!

* * *

Wayne Rigsby glanced at Cho, who had his arms crossed against his chest. The navigator wearily glanced in the direction of the main deck, before he pushed his navigation material away and glanced back at Rigsby with a small frown.

"It's too quiet." Cho muttered. Rigsby glanced at him, his eyebrows raised. "Jane should be up here, running his mouth about something insane."

"Be thankful he's not here." Rigsby replied, smiling. "Otherwise, we'd be fighting." The small frown on Cho's face became a grimace and Rigsby braced himself for the "lecture".

"You both are idiots." Cho stated and Rigsby chuckled. Cho apparently never tired of calling him or Jane idiots. "When are you just going to let this drop?"

"When Jane apologizes…"

"Which, you will never get." Cho interrupted, hastily. "And honestly, you could probably do more if you weren't standing around crying about him." Rigsby narrowed his eyes. Jane deserved _every single _comment directed his way, especially after his treatment of both Kris _and _Lisbon. "Jane doesn't even apologize to Kris in a normal way. He has to apologize in his quarters, under the rule of "no interruptions for the rest of the afternoon"."

Rigsby pulled a face. "If he spent more of his time _on _deck…"

"The ship would burn, you and I would be dead and he'd have a threesome with Lisbon and Kris." Cho added. "Trust me; we don't want him to spend _any more _time on deck than he has to." Rigsby nodded. Yet again, Cho had a valid point; without Jane being distracted, the entire crew and ship would perish. "And I doubt the ship could take another blowout between you two, to be honest."

"It's Jane, not…"

"You, I know." Cho finished for him, dryly. "However, you're the lowly deckhand and Jane's the son of a bitch Captain. He calls the shots…"

"Kris calls the shots." Rigsby corrected and Cho rolled his eyes.

"We just say Jane calls the shots, so he'll leave us alone." Cho reaffirmed. Rigsby grinned in response. "Everyone knows the first mate holds the most power, it's why we keep losing them."

"And we'll continue to keep losing them, if the _Captain _doesn't stop sleeping with them." Yeah, he hadn't been the _largest _fan of Kristina Saffron in the beginning; the young pirate had come on the ship right after O'Laughlin had betrayed them all, but now, he thought she had just fallen into another one of Jane's traps. He couldn't blame her though; Jane was an extremely manipulative figure, who cared very little for his crew (outside of Lisbon and anyone with a connection to Red John).

Whether anyone remembered or not, Lisbon had fallen into the same trap. When Jane made his continuous comments about Lisbon and her lack of work ethic, Kris wasn't around to hear him. She defended him, left and right, only for him to turn _right back around _and insult almost everyone on the ship (out of her hearing range). Back before Lisbon had been kidnapped, Rigsby had briefly considered that Jane _had _feelings for her; but now, he wasn't so sure. Jane seemed to use Kris to fit his needs and Rigsby hated the idea that when he finished with her, Jane would toss her aside for something better.

_Hopefully, James will come back_. Rigsby mused, quietly. He had never personally met James Bertram, but from the stories Kris told (and how she seemed _much _happier remembering certain things), Rigsby already knew James was a million times better than Jane.

Cho blinked. "Well, if you _want _another reason to fight with Jane; go ahead and sleep with either first mate. I'm sure he'll throw a party over it." Rigsby pulled a face. He had no burning desire to sleep with either woman, as he only saw them as good friends and Cho knew that.

"I don't want to sleep with either Kris or Lisbon!" Rigsby exclaimed and Cho blinked again.

"Good to know. I don't think the people on Cannibal Cove heard you though." It was Rigsby's turn to roll his eyes. "Be glad Mashburn wasn't here. He might get upset at your claim." Rigsby said nothing, as he crossed his arms against his chest and focused his attention on the main deck below. Nothing of major importance was happening, aside from the few games of cards going on. "Instead of you silently brooding about your nonexistent love life; why don't you go onto the island and find wood?"

"By myself?" Rigsby ignored Cho's comment about brooding, as he wasn't brooding. He was just worried about his friends and that wasn't a crime. "You think that's a good idea?" He asked at Cho's nod.

Cho shrugged. "No, but what other choice do we have?" Rigsby sighed with a nod. Jane was in his quarters with Kris, Mashburn and Lisbon were out on the island with Lewis, and one officer had to remain behind at all times. "You can wait until Lewis and Mashburn return, if it'll make you feel better."

Rigsby pulled another face; he didn't have reasons for his distrust, but something about Lewis Charles didn't set right with him. Upon telling these feelings to Cho, Cho had merely stated that he was being paranoid and Lewis had been on the ship, almost as long as they both had. Lewis had only been passed up for their officer positions, because the man had almost no formal training in sword fighting or tactical experience. Begrudgingly, Rigsby could admit that the man was excellent at his job of handling Lisbon as the woman seemed _much _healthier (aside from the lack of appetite). "I'm not waiting around for Lewis, Cho."

"I didn't think so." Cho confirmed. "Either you go by yourself or you interrupt Jane."

"And that's an even better idea?" Rigsby asked, dryly. "I would rather keep my head and my eyesight, by not seeing whatever they're doing behind closed doors." He pretended to shutter. Imagining the two in _any _position was enough to give him nightmares for the next week and he was certainly thankful that Jane's quarters were soundproof.

"Suit yourself." Cho stated with a shrug and Rigsby shook his head. He didn't _want _to go by himself, but he knew they all needed to leave Governor's Island. "I need as much oak and cedar wood that you can carry."

"Hopefully, we'll be able to get some." Rigsby replied. He didn't want to sound pessimistic, but almost nobody on the island wanted to help them; it was too dangerous of a thing to do, considering Bertram was out for Jane's blood.

"If the shipyard owner refuses to give you wood, don't worry about it." Cho responded. "I have other ways of getting what we need." Rigsby nodded.

"Anything else?"

Cho shook his head again. "Just the wood."

"I'm on it." Rigsby said, before he left Cho on the helm and hurried off the ship.

* * *

"I'm sorry; Wayne, but I don't do business with criminals." The unruly haired shipyard owner explained, before Rigsby was greeted with the sight of a door slamming shut again. The alleyway was empty and he clenched his fists together; he had journeyed to the other side of Governor's island, in the hopes of getting at least a _single _yes from the shipyard owner.

"Thanks anyway." Rigsby muttered, inaudibly. He almost sighed at the predictable behavior from the various islanders, even if he had figured that they would be both _thankful_ and appreciativeto have Red John gone. Of course, it probably wasn't the death of Red John that had everyone refusing to do business with them; it was the fear of what Bertram would do to them, if he found out that _anyone _was helping the Scarlet Oasis or its' crew.

_Maybe Bertram's purposely keeping us on the island_, Rigsby silently mused. Although, Lewis and Mashburn had put an end to that paranoid notion hours ago; as the island healer had actually helped Lisbon out. If Bertram had wanted to keep them tied down to the island, the healer would have never been allowed to fix Lisbon's lingering injuries, which she had obtained from the Red Rum months ago.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Rigsby vaguely heard someone yell, before something hit him straight in the chest. He glanced down in surprise to find the _something_ to actually be a _someone_; the someone was a young, redheaded woman, who held tightly to an apple in her hand as she remained on the ground. She kept her head low, as she struggled to stand back up and regain her composure.

It didn't take long for him to connect what had happened and what she had done, especially as someone approached them both.

The young woman had _stolen _from one of the various stand vendors and the owner had caught her doing it too. With a small frown, Rigsby knew what punishment would befall the young thief: a public flogging. He didn't believe in the strictness of the punishments on Governor's Island, but he knew that the stand vendor had every right; especially if he suspected that the woman was a repeat thief.

"There you are, you filthy thief!" Rigsby heard the stand vendor bellow, as the ill-tempered man approached, slid his fingers into her tangled mess of red hair and yanked her to her feet. The young woman cried out in alarm. The man glanced at Rigsby with a slight smile. "Thank you for catching her, sir. This dirty bitch has been stealing from _all _of us." Rigsby opened his mouth to object, when the man continued. "The punishment for thievery is not lax, either."

"No, it isn't." Rigsby agreed, silently, as the stand vendor started to pull the young woman forward. He had visited Governor's Island on many occasions and had witnessed _many _public floggings, as members of his navy crew had always been the ones getting punished by the various vendors for stealing things.

However, Rigsby couldn't actively allow for the woman to be punished. He had always believed in hearing the entire story first and he doubted the young woman would have stolen something from the stand vendor, unless it was absolutely necessary.

_She might have a child, _Rigsby wanted to tell the stand vendor, _or she might be pregnant with a child_.

Either way, Rigsby knew something had to be said.

"Wait." Rigsby halted the stand vendor with his hand. The ill-tempered man turned around, his large fingers still entangled within the dull locks of red hair. "I'll pay for whatever she took." The stand vendor raised his dark eyebrows in response. Rigsby almost laughed; if anyone had stood up for _any _thief before a public flogging, the chances of a punishment became higher for both parties. "Tell me how much the apple cost and I'll pay you double."

The ill-tempered man shook his head with a scowl. "How will these…_wenches_," the dirty word sent a shiver down Rigsby's spine; women didn't deserve that kind of disrespect, no matter what circumstances befell them, "learn their lessons, if they continue to go unpunished for what they've taken?" Rigsby watched the grubby stand vendor yank at the red locks of hair again, before he heard the young female yelp in pain. "Shut up or I'll give you something to really cry about."

Rigsby's hand went for his sword. He understood the stand vendor was only trying to make a living, but the mistreatment of the beautiful woman before him wasn't completely warranted. From the mere look of her wardrobe (a tattered dress that hung from her figure and bare feet caked in dried mud); he could tell that the woman was in need of several large and warm meals.

"Unless there's a good reason why I shouldn't punish this thief," the man spat on the ground at her bare feet, "I will continue on my way. Good day, sir." Rigsby watched him step forward, his fingers still buried in the woman's red hair. Although he and Jane weren't talking (and would never talk, if Rigsby could get his way), he wished the annoying captain had accompanied him _just _to convince the stand vendor to let the redhead go.

"She's my wife." Rigsby blurted, halting the stand vendor in his tracks again. The man turned slightly and Rigsby hoped he could fool the man into believing a lie. "I let her out of my sight earlier this morning; she's a habitual thief." He shook his head at his 'wife' to make it look more convincing. "_Dear_, do you really need to steal everything in the market? I have much money, but I don't have enough to pay for every single thing."

"I just wanted an apple." The woman replied back, hoarsely. "I was hungry." Rigsby's heart skipped a beat. How could the stand vendor _not _want to help the young woman? She was practically starving before them and he couldn't even spare _one _apple? The redheaded woman focused her brown eyes on his. "Please. Could I have…?"

Wordlessly, he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a few coins. "I would like two apples, one for myself and for my wife." The stand vendor grimaced. "You'll also find enough coins to replace the apple or anything else that she tried to take from you." Rigsby waited for the stand vendor to remove his fingers from the young woman's hair, but the man didn't. Instead, the stand vendor backhanded her across the face and Rigsby pulled out his sword. "I'd let her go, now." The stand vendor shook his head, a grimace across his lips.

"I don't think you want to do that, son." The stand vendor said, before he pulled his fingers from the mass of red hair and allowed for the woman to fall forward onto the dirt ground. "You wanted your _wife_, well here she is; a worthless wench, displayed for the entire world to see. Hopefully, she'll join you and your _Captain _in the gallows." Before Rigsby could do anything to the stand vendor, the man snatched the money away from Rigsby's other hand and hurried away.

"Damn it." Rigsby muttered, as he quickly put his sword away. Jane and Kris were going to have his head, especially when they both learned _why _they had to worry about someone on the island approaching them all. With a quick shake of the head, Rigsby hurriedly bent down to the check on the redheaded woman. "Ma'am, are you okay?" The woman didn't move and Rigsby pressed his hand to her bare arm; her skin was soft and slightly warm, which made Rigsby smile. "Ma'am?" He gained no response again. Taking a few seconds, he ran his eyes over her; the redheaded woman was petite, her tattered dress was a faded blue that rested above her knees, and although it was sinful, Rigsby couldn't resist a peek at her long legs.

"I'm fine," Rigsby finally heard the young woman respond, as she slowly moved herself into a sitting position. He held out one of his hands to her, which she took and he helped her up to her feet. "Thank you for helping me, Mr…?"

"Wayne Rigsby." Rigsby introduced himself to her and he watched her dust herself off, before she regained her composure. "And you are?" He needed a name to go with her beautiful face.

"My name is Grace, Mr. Rigsby." Her formality confused him. Most of the female thieves he had come across weren't well-mannered or that formal, usually they just spat out a thank you and were on their way. "I'm sorry if I caused you any problems."

"You didn't cause any problems at all." Rigsby lied with ease. "I'm glad I could help you out. You might want to steer away from this part of the island for a while tough, especially as the runner of this stall is awfully angry."

"This was the last part of the island I could go." Grace replied, sheepishly. "Most of the stall keepers are upset with me. This isn't the first time I've been caught." Rigsby glanced at her. He wasn't _as good _as Jane was in reading people, but he could tell she wasn't lying. Grace had the look of someone, who knew nothing of what they were doing and he almost wanted to offer her a place on his ship.

_Kris would never agree to that though_, Rigsby thought with a small frown. Adding another person onto the crew with Lisbon still out for the count would have caused the first mate even more problems, which he didn't want. Getting the crew back into working order and babysitting Jane was more than enough for the first mate; she didn't need to train a newcomer too.

"You have no family on the island to help you?" Rigsby inquired. He watched Grace blink. "You seem like the type who would be settled down by now. Where's your significant other?" Rigsby paused; concerned that he had overstepped his boundaries. "Sorry," Rigsby quickly apologized, "I didn't mean to be forward. You just seem like…"

"It's okay." Grace said, quietly. "I'm not married. I was engaged once, but things happened." He watched her bite her bottom lip. "As for my family, I used to have a father."

"I'm sorry." Rigsby stated. Grace said nothing else, and he continued. "Do you have a place to stay?"

Rigsby watched Grace shake her head. "Not really." He heard the hesitant tone in her voice and he smiled lightly.

"If I was going to hurt you," he reassured her, "I would have never saved you. You can trust me; I'm a good guy." Grace looked skeptical, not that he could blame her though. On the streets, one quickly learned to trust no one. "I just want to make sure that you've got some place to stay, ma'am. It gets awfully cold out here and you're only wearing a dress." Grace said nothing again and slowly, Rigsby shrugged the jacket off his shoulders. "You need something to keep you warm. You need this more than I do." He handed her the jacket, which she took and he smiled lightly. Grace stared at him, surprise written across her face.

"Thank you." Grace whispered as she pulled it on and Rigsby shrugged, nonchalantly. It was only a jacket and he had more. "This is the kindest thing anybody has done for me, Mr. Rigsby."

"Please call me Wayne." Rigsby permitted, drinking in the sight of an attractive woman in _his _jacket. "You are, after all, wearing my jacket now. We're practically clothing mates." He watched a small smile appear on Grace's face, before it quickly disappeared.

"I should be on my way now, Wayne." Grace informed him, after a moment of tense silence. "Thank you once again." He watched her step forward, a slight limp in her gait. In concern, Rigsby reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. Grace tensed at his touch, but she didn't turn around.

"You're injured."

"It's just a slight pain. I've had much worse before." He didn't doubt that at all. "I really shouldn't take up any more of your time though."

"You're not interrupting me, ma'am…"

"If I'm going to call you Wayne, you should call me Grace." Grace interrupted him. "It's only fair." Rigsby nodded. "Bye Wayne." He watched her start off again with a frown. Regardless of whatever Jane _or _Kris would say; he couldn't just leave the woman to die. Pirate or not, he had his morals and he wasn't about to squander them.

"Grace," Rigsby stopped her again, "how would you like to get away from Governor's Island?" He watched her spin around, her brown eyes wide. "I'm an officer on the Scarlet Oasis…"

"The crew that killed Captain Red John?" Grace whispered in awe and Rigsby nodded. "What are you all doing here, Wayne? My…" He watched her shake her head, red hair flying everywhere. "If the Governor catches you, you'll all be hung." The fear written across her face made him want to wrap his arms around her, but he knew he couldn't. Grace didn't know him and any contact with her (for now) would have been seen as him trying something he shouldn't. "He has men everywhere. I'm sure the stand keep is going to tell him right now."

"This is why we need to leave." Rigsby concluded, before Grace blinked again. "Come on. We need to leave; they'll be coming for us both."

"Wha…?" Before Grace could finish her sentence, Rigsby had her hand in his. He tried to ignore the wild beating of his heart, as he slowly led her in the direction of the Scarlet Oasis. She said nothing to him, until they stood before the large vessel and she let out a gasp.

"It's breathtaking, isn't it?" Rigsby asked her with a fond smile. Grace nodded, her mouth open slightly. "I've been working on the ship for almost eight years now and I still can't get enough of her." While he still disliked Jane, he couldn't deny that he wasn't thankful for the man having let him and Cho onto the ship.

"You live here?" Grace replied, awe written across her face. "It's gorgeous."

Rigsby nodded. "I live and work here." Grace said nothing. "You could live and work here also, if you wanted to…" He didn't want to force Grace off the island, but he couldn't just _willingly _return her to a life of crime and punishments.

"I don't know, Wayne." Grace said and Rigsby frowned at the hesitation in her voice. "I've already caused enough problems for you…"

"Grace, please." Rigsby kept his eyes on her, as she focused her eyes on anything and everything but him. "You'll be safe here, I promise." Her brown eyes finally met his, which made him smile. He would continue to reassure her and protect her, as he couldn't imagine doing anything less for her.

"Okay." Grace replied with a small smile of her own, and in appreciation, he grabbed her warm hand again. Rigsby pulled her forward again, until they both stood on the main deck of the Scarlet Oasis and Grace glanced around the darkening ship, lit with torches. He could only imagine the thoughts running through her head, as she drank in every single sight on the main deck and he continued to watch her.

The young woman was absolutely beautiful, and the amazement written across her face did nothing to untie the knots within his stomach.

"Hey." Rigsby almost didn't hear Cho, who had somehow caught sight of him returning. "I tell you to go get us wood and you bring back a woman?" Rigsby turned around to glance at Cho, who had his arms crossed against his chest. "Jane's going to love this."

Rigsby opened his mouth to respond, when Jane's voice cut through the air. "What am I going to…?" And for the first time in nearly eight years, Jane couldn't finish his sentence as the man was too busy gaping at Grace.

"Jane, Cho." Rigsby replied to both. "I want to introduce you to Grace. Grace, this is the Captain of the Scarlet Oasis; Patrick Jane." Jane simply nodded in Grace's direction, his eyes still on Rigsby. "And this is the ship's Navigator, Kimball Cho." Cho nodded in Grace's direction also.

"Hi." Grace greeted, shyly.

Rigsby tried to avoid Jane's questioning glance, as he flickered his eyes toward Grace again, who had her head bowed toward the deck. "I went to speak with the shipyard owner, who refused to give me any wood, when she ran straight into me. She was about to be punished for…"

"Rigsby," Jane interrupted, "I'd like to hear the story from Grace." Rigsby watched Grace lift her head up. "Firstly, who are you?"

"My name is Grace…"

"Grace as in Grace_ Van Pelt-Bertram_?" The loud exclamation from Kris had Rigsby turning his head to stare at the brunette first mate, who had rushed down the helm steps with a frown on her face. "What in the world are you doing here, Grace? You should be with your father, not gallivanting around with…"

"I could ask you the same question, Kristina." Grace replied, stiffly and Rigsby turned back to glance at her in surprise. Grace _knew _Kris?

"Ah, so you're the elusive daughter that Bertram kept locked up for years." Jane returned and Grace nodded. "You don't look very much like the Governor's daughter right now, but I trust the word of my first mate."

"Trust me, Jane." Kris reassured the captain. "It's Grace Van Pelt-Bertram, Governor Bertram's daughter." Grace wore a grimace and Rigsby didn't need to turn around to know that Kris was probably sporting the same look.

Rigsby opened his mouth to ask _how _they knew each other, as neither woman had grown up on the same island, when it suddenly clicked.

Grace was James's sister; the sister, who had once been engaged to Craig O'Laughlin. And the very _same _sister, who had lost both the engagement with O'Laughlin and her freedom, _because _of Kris and James.

Rigsby turned to face Kris. "I didn't know, Kris. I'm…"

"Why is she here?" Kris interrupted, hastily. "Why isn't she locked up somewhere, Rigsby?" Even in the glow from the torchlights, Rigsby could tell that Kris wasn't thrilled. Not that he could blame her though.

Rigsby heard Grace scoff from behind him. "You just like taking away my freedom, don't you?" Sparing a quick glance at Jane and Cho, Rigsby could see the slight tell-tell signs of confusion written across their faces. He knew Kris hadn't told Cho yet, as she hadn't quite found the time, but the fact that Jane _still _didn't know surprised him. Did she not trust him with her secrets or the stories of her past?

"Rigsby?" Kris ignored Grace's comment. "How? I want information now."

The raw anger in her voice was enough to make him speak. "I went to get wood for our ship and Grace ran into me. I protected her from one of the stand vendors, who is probably on his way to Bertram."

"What did you do, Rigsby?" Rigsby heard Jane ask and Rigsby glanced at Jane, a frown on his face.

"He wouldn't let Grace go, so I kind of pulled my sword on him…"

Jane crossed his arms against his chest. "Damn it, Rigsby!" Rigsby stared at him in surprise; the Captain rarely ever cursed. "How ready are we to leave the island?"

Cho shrugged. "We can leave right away, but…"

"I don't care." Jane interrupted, eyes still narrowed. "We need to leave right now." Rigsby caught Kris's nod out of the corner of his eye and he frowned. He had only wanted to protect Grace, not make the entire crew angry. "Who knows how long it will be before Bertram shows up to arrest us all?"

"What about his daughter, Jane?" Kris asked. "If we leave the island with her, he might add kidnapping to our list of crimes." Rigsby had never even considered the possibility of _that _one. "And I don't think I need to remind you what happens if we're caught with her onboard?"

"It doesn't matter." Jane answered.

"To hell it doesn't matter!" Kris exclaimed, before she crossed her own arms against her chest. "Are you trying to get this crew hung?" Nobody said anything to her. "Be logical about this! If we leave and he catches us, we'll all be sentenced to death. Lisbon _just _escaped death; do you really want to put her through this again?" Rigsby opened his mouth to reply, when she continued. "Jane, _please _think this through first. You and I both know Gale Bertram…"

"My father is good!" Grace interrupted and Rigsby watched Kris turn to Grace. "You don't know anything about him, Kristina."

"Oh, he is?" Kris sarcastically replied, while Grace nodded; anger across her face. "What part of locking your _daughter _away is a good thing, Grace?"

"At least mine loved me." Grace shot back, quietly.

Rigsby glanced between Kris and Grace, who both seemed on the verge of tears. He wanted to comfort his best female friend, but he also wanted to the comfort the woman he had saved.

"Whatever, Grace." Kris finally responded, her voice tight. "Think whatever you want, as I really don't care."

Before Rigsby could say another word, he watched Kris turn on her heels and stomp away.

"Nice going." Cho deadpanned, after Kris had disappeared below the ship. Rigsby said nothing.

"Get us away from here." Jane ordered Cho, before he spared a quick look at Rigsby. "I'm going after her. Put Grace in my office for now; we'll sort all of this when we start sailing."

"Yes, sir." Rigsby did as Jane asked, without any arguments.

* * *

"Who in the hell gave him the right to bring _her _aboard the ship?" Kris seethed, her fists clenched as she hurried through the crew quarters to get away from her demons. Grace Van Pelt-Bertram was the second-to-last person that Kris had _ever _expected to step onto the Scarlet Oasis, as Governor Bertram had imprisoned his daughter for an indefinite amount of time.

Kris was thankful that Rigsby had saved Grace from being beaten, but she couldn't understand exactly why the man had brought her upon the ship. It wasn't, after all, like Grace didn't have the resources to get food or clothing; her father was the Governor and Kris doubted that Gale Bertram would do anything to hurt his daughter. The so-called "punishment" (as Rigsby had briefly called it) was probably nothing more than a few harsh words and because Rigsby was a man, he felt the need to save the damsel-in-distress.

With the shake of her head, Kris bit her tongue. Rigsby meant well by saving Grace, but he just didn't realize the consequences of his heroic action; Grace seemed practically taken with her savor, which made Kris furrow her brows in a mixture of concern and dislike. If the two somehow became romantically involved, Kris had no doubt that James wouldn't renter back into her life. James was extremely protective of his younger sister, as he had threatened O'Laughlin shortly after Governor Bertram had announced the royal engagement to his entire island.

_"Our father may not care what you do, Craig, but I most certainly do." James had said, with his arms crossed against his broad chest. "If your hurt my sister, I will hurt you. Consider this your fair warning." _

_Craig O'Laughlin had turned his chin up slightly. "You have nothing to worry about, James. My Grace, your sister, will be in safe hands. I wouldn't dare hurt her, as I love her." Kris, who had been standing behind James, grimaced at O'Laughlin's wording. Grace and O'Laughlin had only been seeing each other for six months and the very idea that he _loved _her made Kris ill. _

_ "Love?" James had scoffed, his green eyes narrowed on O'Laughlin. "You don't love my sister, you just love her money." _

And of course, James had been right. O'Laughlin had never loved Grace, as he had never fought for her after Grace's father had broken the engagement off. Instead, O'Laughlin had retreated into the hands of Red John and company and _that _didn't signal love at all to Kris.

"The last time you were this angry, you wanted to kill me." Kris heard Jane idly comment from behind her, as she collapsed at one of the tables within the empty crew mess. She almost banged her head against the table at the sound of his voice, as he was also the last person she wanted to see right now. The idiot had allowed Rigsby to keep Grace around, ultimately putting himself in the dark-haired pirate's good graces once again. Normally, Kris would have been pleased with the lack of fighting from either pirate, but because the solution involved someone from _her _past; she was livid and he wasn't getting anything for at least the next week. "You obviously have some reserves about letting another female aboard the ship, Kris. Is it because you don't trust me?"

Kris turned around to glare at him. "Is there a reason why I shouldn't trust you, Jane?" She watched Jane shrug his shoulders. "For _once_, Jane, this isn't about you."

"You mean you're okay with us housing another beautiful woman on board?" Kris continued to glare in his direction. He just thought this whole situation was hilarious, didn't he? _The asshole_, she spat in her thoughts. "We _do _need another crewmember, after all. We're leaving Governor's Island, Kris. It's too…"

"Yeah, I know." Kris interrupted, hastily. "Dangerous. Stupid. Risky. Asinine. Cocky. Too much like our idiotic captain, on and on the list goes." Jane shook in head in amusement, as he grinned in her direction. "I don't know what you're grinning at, Jane. This isn't funny."

"Au contraire, my dear." Jane corrected. "I find this to be an interesting predicament. Your past is meeting your present and I, for one, look forward to finding out more about you. Obviously, Grace knows something about your teenage years."

"I didn't even have any teenage years, you idiot." Kris said with a scowl. "I was forced into adulthood at a young age. Also, who says she'll tell you anything?"

"I'm now her Captain." Jane reminded and Kris rolled her eyes. Jane liked to use his Captain threat on anyone and everything, even if the object was inanimate. "If she wants to stay on this ship, she'll tell me what I want to know."

"If you kick her off, Rigsby will kill you." Kris gave, dryly. "And although I'm not the biggest fan of this situation, I will kill you also." It was Jane's turn to furrow his brows in confusion and she chuckled. "Don't think too hard, Jane. You might hurt yourself."

"Hush, you." Jane threw, still with his brows furrowed. "I don't exactly understand why you would keep Miss Van Pelt-Bertram around, if she's a reminder of your past."

"I made a promise to her brother, years ago." Kris quickly replied. James had feared that something would happen to one of them (especially as he knew his father was in Red John's pocket) and in order to make him feel better, she had promised to look out for Grace. If they hadn't been actively searching for Lisbon months ago when they had visited Governor's Island, Kris would have had no problems breaking Grace out, but because Red John was involved; Kris had hesitated. "Annoying as she may be, she's practically family."

"If it makes you feel better," Jane stated, after a few moments of silence, "Miss Van Pelt-Bertram has no idea where her brother is." The small smile on Jane's lips told her how _happy _he was at that small amount of information and she moved from the table to smack him. He had absolutely no right to be jealous or angry with someone that he had personally never met and Kris doubted that Grace would even _discuss _her brother with someone new. "She seems like she would make a promising pirate, Kris."

"You just want her for the possible power she wields." Kris muttered and Jane continued to frown. "Oh come off it, Jane. You know how much you can get from having the Governor's _long lost daughter _accompany us, especially with the blackmail we've got on us right now."

"I'll admit; it's a good idea." Jane agreed, much to her surprise. "But, I've got more important things that we can use Miss Van Pelt-Bertram for." She stared at him. "How well do you think her sword skills are?"

Kris continued to stare at him. "She's been locked away for years, Jane. How in the world am I supposed to know the answer to that?"

"Well, if James was her brother…"

"James had excellent sword skills, I admit." Kris informed Jane with a smile. "The sword became a part of him, and he's why I'm so good at sword fighting today."

"I thought that was because of Lisbon." Jane admitted and Kris scoffed slightly. Lisbon was an excellent sword fighter, but James had been the one to teach her _after _Bosco hadn't been able to help her with anything else. She continued to smile. Part of the reason that James and she had fallen in love was because of those secret sword-fighting sessions.

"Lisbon's good. James was just always better." Kris answered, before she moved her arms across her chest. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing here, Jane." Jane pulled an innocent face and she rolled her eyes. "That doesn't fool me anymore. You're just trying to get information about James, so you can feel more secure about our relationship."

Jane pressed one of his hands to his chest. "I'm wounded, Kris. I thought you trusted me."

"You _do _realize that nobody on this crew trusts you, right?" Kris shot back. "Tossing words like _trust_, _wounded _and _love _don't get you anywhere with me, Jane. You want me to answer questions about James, how about you ask them yourself then?" Jane pulled his hand from his chest and stared at her.

"Do you love him?" Kris pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation. Out of all the questions he could have asked, he had to start with the most complicated? She almost wanted to threaten him with her sword (or with her leaving, again) but she worried that if she refused, he'd try and use Grace as leverage.

"Once, I did." Kris answered, honestly. "He was my first love. You can't tell me that you're still not in love with your wife." Jane beamed with a nod. "You obviously do, as you killed for her."

"And I would kill for you also, Kris." Jane reassured her. "In fact, I've actually killed for you before." Kris raised her eyebrows. "Of course, you don't remember it. You were drugged and on alcohol at the time, exploiting your sexual urges with one of Red John's men."

Kris shivered. "Why in the hell would you bring that up _now_?"

"I felt you needed to know how serious I am about you." Jane answered with a small smile. "Did James ever kill for you?"

"Yes." Kris answered. Her throat was tight. "I was sober. It's a long story and something I don't feel comfortable enough telling you yet." She _did _like Jane, but she liked being a private person also; she didn't want be the type of significant other, who told the other person _everything _and then some. Kris watched Jane frown and she rolled her eyes. "I'm telling you more than I've ever told Mashburn or Cho, Jane. You should be happy with what you've got."

"Does Lisbon know?"

"Bits and pieces." Kris responded. "I had to tell her the bare facts, or she would have never let me join your crew." Of course, Lisbon still knew more than Jane—Kris just refused to tell him that. "Is there anything else that you want to know?"

"Why did you not say yes to his marriage proposal?" Jane quietly asked and Kris continued to clench her fists together. She didn't want to discuss her ex-boyfriend with her new-significant other; especially as he already seemed to believe that he wasn't any better than James in the first place. "I know I'm asking a lot of you, but this is an important question to me."

She couldn't see _why_, but she sighed and answered him anyway. "It wasn't because I couldn't commit, if that's what you're worried about."

"You? Not committing?" Jane teased, lightly. "I would never think on it." Kris rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't ready." Kris replied, honestly and with a shrug. "James popped the question at the worst possible time and I told him I'd have to think about it. I thought about it, reached an answer and went to tell him almost a week later, only to find him gone." Kris swallowed, painfully. She'd never admit it to Jane, but the thought of James gone _still _hurt her. It might have been because of Bertram, but she hadn't even had the chance to say a proper goodbye.

"I'm sorry." Jane apologized. Kris waved him off.

"Why? There's nothing you can do." Kris responded. "You aren't James. You aren't Bertram. You're only the Captain of the Scarlet Oasis, who didn't know me until all of this had gone down. You couldn't have saved me, and honestly, I'm happy to be here now." It was a half-truth though. She liked the Scarlet Oasis and its crew, as she considered them all family, but Jane's continuing jealousy drove her up a wall. Although he rarely brought James up in conversation, she could still tell that he wanted to know more and it frustrated her. James was an ex because of his father, while Jane was her current partner because of Lisbon. With a sigh, she grabbed Jane's hand in her own. "In case you've forgotten, I spend most of my nights with you and not with him. I think about him often, but he's not important anymore." She bit her lip and hoped Jane wouldn't catch onto her lie.

But who was she fooling?

Jane, as much as she argued against it, was intelligent and he _knew _when one of his crewmembers wasn't being completely honest with him. When she had first joined the crew, Jane had caught and called Lisbon out in many lies; _honest eyes_, is what he said that she had. Lisbon had merely scoffed, rolled her eyes and stormed off, until he needed her presence to do the rest of his work for the day.

"Your reaction to the letter Bosco gave you says differently, Kris." Jane teased lightly and Kris brought her arms against her chest. The letter had been completely unexpected and Jane had no right to use her reactions against her.

"And your reaction to Lisbon and Mashburn says differently, _Patrick_." Kris threw back. Jane lost his grin and Kris smirked. "Don't use shocking events against me, because I can throw a million-and-one back at you."

"You don't have that many things against me." Jane challenged.

"Of course I do." Kris said with the shake of her head. Jane asking for a challenge was ridiculous, as he never won them. "One," she started at the tilt of his head, "your reaction to Rigsby and Cho not killing O'Laughlin." Jane scoffed. "Two, your reaction to what happened on Manse Island. Three, your wildly inappropriate actions on this ship…"

"You know you liked them." Jane muttered, while Kris glared in his direction. Even if she _had _enjoyed them, Jane was purposely being dense.

"That's not the point." Kris stated. "The point is: you are an idiot and that you shouldn't use things against me." Jane said nothing. "Do you see James here?"

Jane glanced around. "I see you, me and an empty room."

"Exactly. James isn't here to take me away. He was a part of my life, so accept it or you lose me." Kris felt her stomach tighten and with a few deep inhales, she tried to quell the sickness within her. "I've honestly had it with your jealousy, Jane. I just want to concentrate on helping Lisbon and getting off this god forsaken island, but no, you want to dredge through my past and focus on a _ghost_. Do you know how ridiculous you sound, really?" Kris shook her head.

"Not as ridiculous as you sound for flipping out about Miss Van Pelt-Bertram, my dear." Jane fired back and Kris continued to glare.

"I'm flipping out about her, because she's an added stressor." Kris lied. "She's a constant reminder of what I've lost and what I'll never have." Jane said nothing in response. "And if she stays," which she would because Kris couldn't kick the woman off the ship, "we'll have to train her _and _help Lisbon recover as well. Do you really think I can take on two tasks at once?"

"Lisbon could." Jane replied, softly.

"And do I look like Teresa Lisbon to you?" Kris answered, Jane remained silent again. "No. If you wanted Lisbon to do it her way, you should have dated her and kept her as your first mate."

"Kris, I…" Jane started.

"You what?" Kris asked, hastily. "You didn't _mean _to say that? You didn't mean to push? You're _sorry_? Well, congratulations! You've already pushed me and do you know what you've won?" Jane opened his mouth and she interrupted him. "Me, leaving." Kris stood from the table and started out the crew mess, when she heard Jane's voice from behind her.

"You have Lisbon train Miss Van Pelt-Bertram." Kris glanced at him from over her shoulder in confusion. "You wanted a solution for your problem; hence, I found one that makes us all happy. Lisbon will have something useful to do…"

"Jane." Kris warned him.

"…and Miss Van Pelt-Bertram will be trained by one of the best, while you can continue to avoid her."

"Yeah, because the game of avoiding one another actually works." Kris rolled her eyes. Jane's suggestion wasn't _horrible_; it was just…ill-prepared? What if Grace didn't want to stay? Or Lisbon didn't want to train her? "Do you even think Lisbon would agree to this?"

"Well," Jane started with a small frown, "they do have something or _someone _in common." Kris raised her eyebrows. "Deceased First Mate of the Red Rum, Craig O'Laughlin." Kris pinched the bridge of her nose. "It might help if Lisbon has someone to confide in, Kris, as she's certainly not talking to either of us."

Kris stared at him in disbelief. "You can't honestly think that bringing two _victims_ together would be a good idea, do you?" Grace wasn't technically a victim, but she _had _known O'Laughlin better than any of the Scarlet Oasis crewmembers would have known him (aside from Lisbon, apparently).

"If Lisbon is introduced to another victim, Kris, she might stop trying to hide what happened to her." Jane explained, quietly. "In order to keep this ship sailing, we need a new well-trained crewmember and Miss Van Pelt-Bertram is the only option we've got."

Kris hated Jane's logic, she really did.

"She won't take orders from me, Jane." Kris argued. "Grace and Lisbon won't listen to me…"

"Ah, but you're forgetting something." Jane interrupted, still with a smile. "You have me _and _Rigsby."

"Rigsby?" Now, Jane was just confusing her. Aside from Rigsby having "saved" her, what did he have to do with Grace?

"It might have missed your attention, but your crewmember is attracted to her." Kris groaned at Jane's explanation. "Miss Van Pelt-Bertram or Grace will listen to him, because she secretly enjoys his company."

"They've only just met!" Kris argued.

"They've had a few hours of travel between them, Kris." Jane reminded her. "He saved her from being punished and she latched onto him, the first friendly person she had probably seen in weeks."

"Doubtful."

"Truthful." Jane counter argued. "Grace was raised by the Governor of Governor's Island, Kris. I don't know if you remember this or not, but Governor's Island isn't full of _friendly _people." Jane had another valid point. Governor's Island was _not _a happy place.

"Damn it." Kris cursed, as she really hated when he was right. "And where do you come in on this?"

"I'm the Captain, obviously." Jane answered and she ignored him. "Lisbon will listen to me, because she does trust me…"

"Do you think any kidnap victim can trust the Captain, who screwed them over?" Kris muttered, as Jane stared at her. "Oh, did I say that out loud? Sorry."

She didn't mean that sorry, at all.

"I have my ways." Jane replied with the tilt of his lips. "I'll get Lisbon to agree and if you'll have _your _crewmember agree; we can leave them to a meeting." Jane apparently wasn't going to comment on the snide remark, which suited her just fine. Another fight between them would just be pointless. "Lisbon wants her first mate position back, Kris. This is my way of testing her mental capabilities and strength." In disbelief, Kris shook her head. Lisbon had held no interest for her old position a fortnight ago, so why would Jane believe that the woman would willingly want to be first mate again? "She'll gain the weight she needs by helping Grace, as she won't be able to swordfight on the meager portions that she's been shoving in her body."

"I don't know, Jane." Kris wanted to support the idea. Grace needed someone around, who she didn't dislike and Lisbon needed someone around who understood O'Laughlin's twisted ways. But she just couldn't.

"You think too much, dear." Jane interrupted her thoughts. "Everything will be fine. I promise."

It was Kris's turn to scoff. "We're already treading on thin ice with Lisbon. I don't want to be treading on thin ice with Grace either, as I've dealt with enough hostile people in the past year." Kris shook the image of Jane and Rigsby, prior to Lisbon's kidnapping, from her mind with a frown. "It's not healthy for me to think I need to watch my back on my own crew."

"And you call me paranoid." Jane teased, while Kris glanced down at the floor. "Hey," she felt his hand under her chin, "nobody on this crew wishes you harm. You're the well-liked and respected first mate, remember?" Jane's answer had a chuckle out of her. "If you're worried about them conspiring against you, I can find someone else to train Grace."

Kris shook her head. "No. Lisbon should do it…"

"I sense a 'but' coming on."

"But," Kris added as she glanced up at him, "don't make me regret agreeing with you." Jane nodded. "I trust Lisbon with my life, Jane. I know she'll do a good job."

"You're worried about Grace?" Kris nodded. "She's been locked up for years, Kris. What harm could she bring us? Her father?" Jane scoffed again, much to Kris's surprise. "If I killed Red John, I can take on a Governor." She didn't doubt him.

"If she brings us her father, we could all be arrested." Kris pointed out. "You could be arrested and hung for murder. I would be arrested for treason…" Jane probably thought she was overreacting, but she didn't care. Bertram thirsted for her blood also, because of the failed marriage and because of her help in Red John's death.

"As would the rest of the crew." Jane said, as he sat back down next to her. "Yes, I won't lie. Bertram is after Lisbon, you and I." Kris kept quiet. "He believes we've all committed treason, as going against _Captain Red John _is an offense punishable by death on Manse and Governor's Island. But, Governor Bertram is also smart. He won't come after us now, he'll wait until we least expect it."

"That was supposed to make me feel better?" Kris asked, dryly. His words had done nothing to lift the heavy weight upon her shoulders or the continuous gnawing in the pit of her stomach.

"No, it wasn't." Jane replied. "It was meant to keep things in perspective, Kris. You worry about watching your own back on this ship, when in reality; you should be watching your back _off _this ship." Kris blinked. "Once we get away from this island, you'll feel better. We're all tense."

"And Grace is making that tension increase tenfold."

"We'll figure this out, Kris." Jane answered; her hand in his. "You have to trust me on that one."

With a nod of her head, she leaned against Jane's shoulder—fight averted, for the moment—and closed her eyes. As much as she had her reserves about his ideas (and his motives for allowing Grace to stay aboard the ship), she knew she could trust him to help her figure everything out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **All respective rights belong to….well, not me.

Thanks to Frogster for the review! :D

* * *

Leaning against the wall, Jane watched the door to Kris's bedroom slam shut again. His lips were quirked into a half-hearted smile, as he heard her slamming drawers and cursing up a storm. Of course, her cursing rants weren't aimed at him; they were aimed at Grace Van Pelt-Bertram. While Governor's Island had long faded from sight and a navy fleet wasn't chasing after them, Kris still believed Grace's presence on the ship was a signal of bad things to come.

He, on the other hand, found it quite amusing.

"I can now see why Lisbon added, _the first mate and Captain cannot kill any crewmember on the Scarlet Oasis_, to the rules." Jane teased through the door, only to hear Kris curse. "Is that anyway to treat your boyfriend, Kris?"

Silence met Jane's question.

"You've been in this foul mood for days." Jane continued, still with a half-hearted smile. "I'm only trying to make you laugh."

"Go away, Jane." Jane listened to Kris's reply with a shake of his head; the young first mate _sounded _angry with him. "I want to be left alone."

_Although_, he thought, _she really has no reason to be. _

"In case you've forgotten, my dear, I own a key to that room." Jane reminded her. "If I truly wanted in, throwing your weight against the door couldn't stop me."

"And," Kris replied lightly. "If you check your key ring, you'll find yourself one key short." Jane quickly glanced down at the large key ring attached to his scabbard, only to find that he was missing _one _key: the key to the first mate's bedroom. "You might want to stop leaving your keys around, _dear_; they might fall into the wrong hands, and you really wouldn't want that."

"You're angry with me." It wasn't a question.

"Why would you think that, Jane?" Her words dripped with sarcasm and he moved closer to her door, a frown on his face. "Everything is A-Okay."

"You're a horrible liar, Kris." Jane commented, idly. "You should just tell the truth; you'll feel much better." To others, Kris was a subpar liar. Rigsby, Cho and Lisbon could rarely tell when the first mate was lying. But to him, Kris was still transparent.

"And you're an asshole, Jane."

Jane scoffed lightly. "If this is about the loss of your bedroom…"

"This bedroom wasn't even _mine _to begin with." Kris argued through the door. "I just temporarily took it over, until Lisbon was first mate again."

"Grace isn't going to become my first mate."

"Good to know."

Jane sighed. Why did the damned woman have to be so stubborn? Kris was the one who had asked for Grace to be kept around, not him! He didn't deserve her hot and cold behavior, especially, as he was only trying to keep the peace.

"I only wanted her to feel comfortable, Kris." Jane explained. "How do you think she'd feel if she had to sleep surrounded by guys?"

"In case _you've _forgotten, I slept surrounded by guys." Kris reminded, the door still closed. "If I survived, Grace will survive." Jane shook his head. He had offered Grace the first mate's bedroom, as a gesture of good will and Kris apparently couldn't appreciate that. "Where was this charitableness when I joined the ship, Jane?"

"Lodged in Lisbon's shoulder." Jane replied, before Kris's door flew open and her long, bare tanned legs greeted him. He took the short moment to admire her legs with a small smile, before he caught her narrowed eyes.

"Do you know how ridiculous that makes you sound?" Kris asked him, as she brought her arms to cross against her chest. "You refused to offer someone hospitality, because of what Craig O'Laughlin did."

He glanced back down at her legs. "When you first came aboard, I asked you for your entire name. You refused to give it to me." His eyes met hers. "By not giving me your name, I'd say you painted a target on your back. For all we knew, you could have been Red John." Jane watched Kris roll her eyes and he chuckled.

"I'm sure you feel pretty silly about that theory now, don't you?"

"After I realized what your last name was," Jane admitted. "No." Kris stopped her eye rolling to stare at him, profound surprise written across her face. "Whether you knew it or not, your parents supported Red John. You kept swearing up-and-down to Lisbon that you didn't support Red John, but I wasn't entirely convinced until…" He paused to shake his head; they had both thought enough about the Red Rum and Lisbon's kidnapping that it went without continuing. "It was a silly thought, I know."

"But now," she said with a small frown. "You understand _why _I didn't give you my last name, don't you?" Jane slowly nodded. "If I had told you right away, you would have never given me a chance. You would have tossed me into a cell…"

"We don't keep prisoners on this ship, Kris."

Jane watched her eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Why do we have a brig then?"

"I have the keys for the cells, but we've never actively housed prisoners inside of them." Jane replied with a shrug. "Before you, we used to use the brigs to question possible Red John crewmembers on his whereabouts. However, we stopped because _someone _was killing the crewmembers."

"O'Laughlin?" Kris muttered and Jane nodded. "I can't imagine him swiping your keys though…"

"O'Laughlin had access to the brigs through Lisbon, as she carried the second set of keys." Jane frowned. When he and Lisbon had stumbled upon one of the slaughtered Red John crewmember bodies, his mind had bridged a connection between suicide (as Red John's crewmembers knew how to take their own lives) and the sight before them both. It wasn't until O'Laughlin had left and Lisbon's key ring was missing that two and two had been put together. "Don't bother asking for Lisbon's key ring though, O'Laughlin pilfered it."

"Of course he did." Kris said, which made Jane chuckle. "And for your information, I wasn't going to ask for the key ring. I just wanted to know _how _O'Laughlin got his hands on it."

"It's still a mystery." He had _several _theories on how O'Laughlin had ended up with Lisbon's keys, but without asking difficult questions, he had no actual way of proving his theory to be true or not. "Hey," he continued after a moment of silence. "What are your plans for the day?"

"I'd like to finish dressing first." Kris motioned toward her lower half and he grinned. "Whether you realize it or not, you interrupted my bath."

"You were bathing and you didn't invite me?" Jane feigned hurt, while Kris rolled her eyes again. "You still owe me for the _last _time."

"Don't you have something more important to be doing?" Kris asked, wryly. Jane stared at her in false confusion. "Like, I don't know, interrogating a certain new crewmember before I can formally introduce her to Lisbon" He refrained from rolling his own eyes at her choice of words. Kris was overthinking Grace's presence on the ship _again_, but in hindsight, it didn't exactly matter. Grace Van Pelt-Bertram was the sister of _James Bertram_, the only man who Kris refused to discuss with him.

While Kris _knew _he was going to explain the rules of the ship to Grace, he doubted she knew he had ulterior motives. Jane wanted to know _exactly _where James was, and if James was ever coming back. As far as Jane was concerned, James Bertram was a threat to his and Kris's happiness; and if the man was dead (which Jane hoped), the better everything would be.

"And I can assure you, my love, it _will _happen." Jane answered, smoothly. "I just came to steal a quick kiss from you, before I start my work for the day." He watched her smile, before he leaned in and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. The pads of his thumbs brushed lightly across her face, as his tongue slipped past her slightly parted lips. He felt her warm tongue meet his and he sighed into the warmth of the kiss; her feather light touch at the back of his neck calmed his thoughts, almost instantly.

"You've had your kiss." Kris told him, after she had pulled away from him with a slight smirk. "And if you're good," her hand brushed against his chest, causing his heartbeat to quicken. "You might get more." With a teasing laugh, Kris turned on her heels and she closed her bedroom door again.

With a quick glance toward the ceiling and a quirk of the lips, he laughed.

_One thing is certain_; Jane thought with a grin, _the woman definitely knows how to tease me _and_ kill me_.

* * *

"I know this is an overdue welcome, Grace, but welcome to the Scarlet Oasis." Jane told Grace, as he motioned for her to take one of the seats in front of his desk. With a timid nod, he watched her do so and he smiled gently in response. He had no need to scare the young woman off, especially with everything she had gone through lately. "Just so you know; the stories about us aren't all really true."

Grace glanced up at him in surprise and he almost laughed at her expression. "They aren't?" Grace's reaction was predictable, as most children and teenagers on islands that supported Red John grew up listening to horror stories about the Scarlet Oasis.

Jane shook his head. "We don't kidnap children or adults, Grace. Up until four months ago, we were only interested in killing Red John and rescuing our previous first mate." He saw the curiosity burning in Grace's eyes and he smiled slyly. If he pulled his cards right, he could tell about Lisbon _and _get information about James at the same time. "I also want to apologize for Kris's uncouth behavior; she's just touchy about her past and the people in it."

He watched Grace roll her eyes and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. "I don't see why. Kristina got everything she wanted."

"What do you mean, Grace?" He watched her shake her head, the messy ponytail keeping her red hair away from her face. The young woman looked semi-uncomfortable, but he chalked that up to her new set of clothes. Grace wasn't used to wearing pants or a shirt, she was used to wearing dresses. "You can trust me, Grace. I'm only concerned for my girlfriend." Grace said nothing, and Jane patiently waited for her to break the silence.

She never did.

With an inaudible sigh, he realized he needed a new approach to this situation. "Tell me, Grace. When you left home, was it only you and your father?"

"It was, but it's been that way for years." Grace admitted with a frown. Jane tried to encourage her into continuing with a friendly smile. "My father and I are…" she paused to correct herself with a blush. "…were…close. There was no one else in my life for a while, and he kept me safe."

_By locking you away, you foolish girl_, Jane wanted to say in response.

However, he knew he had to keep his mouth shut. If he wanted the information out of Grace, he needed to gain her trust; and calling her, a _foolish girl _would only hinder his efforts.

"I know what it's like to be alone, Grace." Jane soothed with a small frown.

"You do?" Grace had her brown eyes focused on his and he nodded.

"After Red John killed my wife and child, I spent most of my time alone." His throat became tight. Red John had deserved a lot more than just a sword through the chest, but his need to get back to _both _Lisbon and Kris had outweighed everything else. Regardless of what everyone else thought, he did care for the members of his crew. "I wondered from island to island for about a year, until I eventually decided that I didn't want to be lonely anymore." He threw her a thin smile. "I assembled a crew, bought a ship and ten years later, I found love."

"Love?"

"Love." Jane repeated, firmly. "I know it's hard to believe, Grace, but not all pirates are horrible. We _are _capable of love." Living as the Governor's daughter, Jane assumed, Bertram had told his daughter various stories about how bloodthirsty and nefarious pirates were. "If it weren't for my being a pirate, I would have never met Kris."

He watched Grace's brows furrow in confusion again, before he heard her scoff. "How can you love her though when she's supposed to be with James right now?" Jane's frown deepened. Was it possible that Kris was seeing James out on one of the islands? He didn't want to believe that his girlfriend would cheat on him, but James Bertram had been her first love. "They _did _run off together, after all."

Jane blinked in surprise. Had Kris completely ignored the little fact in her story that she and James had run off together, or was there something more to the story than she had told on Jubilee Island? With the clenching of his fists, Jane knew he needed to know the _entire _story.

But he couldn't ask Kris. While he had purposely misled Grace into telling him about her brother, he hadn't lied about Kris's sensitivity for discussing her past. If he pushed Kris for information on a certain past relationship, Jane knew he'd have her sword in his face.

However, he knew someone who he _could _ask.

"First Mate Saffron and I have discussed your situation on this ship, Grace." Jane continued, ignoring her previous comment. "If you're willing, we're in need of an extra hand on this ship." He watched her bite her lip. "You'll need to learn how to protect yourself, of course, but the first mate and I have already decided on a course of action."

"And Kristina is fine with me staying, Captain Jane?"

"You need a home." Jane told her with a shrug of his shoulders. "Most of my crewmembers join because they don't have homes or families." He paused to level her with a stare. "If Kris wasn't fine with you staying, Grace, you'd be gone already. I take the opinion of my first mate seriously."

"Captain Jane." The wide smile on Grace's face told him everything he needed to know, but he let her continue anyway. "I'm more than willing to join your crew."

"Excellent." Jane answered, his smile matching hers. "Welcome aboard, Crewmember Grace."

* * *

"Kristina?" Kris heard Grace ask from behind her, as they continued down the narrow steps to the storage hold. She briefly glanced at Grace, who wore a small frown and nodded for the newest crewmember to ask her question. "Where's James?"

Cursing under her breath, Kris froze in mid-step; the last thing she wanted to do was discuss _James _with Grace. Grace knew exactly where James was, so why she asking her? Obviously, the brother-and-sister duo had stayed close, while her relationship with James had ended.

"Why don't you tell me, Grace?" Kris shot back, smoothly and she watched Grace's shoulders rise.

"I would, if I knew where he was." Grace replied. "I haven't heard from him in almost three years." Kris scanned Grace's face for any sign of deceit, but she couldn't find one. "At least you've heard from him, Kristina."

"I haven't heard from him, Grace. I got _one _letter, which he wrote through General Bosco." The thick letter and envelope that she had yet to open or read, as the memories were too painful to deal with, was still sitting in her drawer. "I honestly don't know where he is or what he's doing."

_Nor do I care_, she thought with a scowl.

"You got a letter?" Grace sounded hurt and Kris's scowl turned to a frown. The idea that James never wrote to his sister, surprised her immensely, as she had thought he would have written his sister constantly. James, when she had known him, had been adamant about keeping a close relationship with her even though Governor Bertram had tried every tactic to separate the siblings. Bertram had wanted his son to become the new Governor, while he wanted Grace to be married with children. The Governor, especially after his wife passed away, had never been too keen on family bonding.

To her knowledge, the only time James had ever spent with his father for an extended period, was when he was learning how to run an island. As for Grace, Bertram had only sent her male suitors; most of them hadn't worked out for various and vague reasons. That is, until Craig O'Laughlin had appeared on the scene. Once he had entered Grace's life, James, she remembered, saw less and less of his sister. James had known at the time that it had been his father's fault, but James could never help feeling guilty. Kris had assumed that once Bertram had called off the engagement, she and James had reconnected through letters.

"Yes, but I have yet to read it." Kris answered. "I probably won't ever read it, as he has absolutely nothing to tell me."

"Oh." Grace gave softly.

"Yeah; he left us both, apparently."

She saw the hurt spread across Grace's face, but she was only trying to be honest. If what Grace said was true, then her brother really had left her and that broke Kris's heart. Kris knew that she could move past the hurt that James had left her with, but for Grace, it was completely different. Grace had been close to both her brother and father; so, the fact that James and Bertram had left her only made Kris hate the family more. She and Grace had their issues, but she knew that Grace didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

Grace had only ever been the model daughter; the kind of daughter Kris could never be. Even though Kris was beyond pissed with both James and his father, she had made a promise to look after Grace and if Grace's own family wouldn't be there for her, Kris would continue to honor the promise. After all, Grace deserved that much, at least.

"For what it's worth, Grace." Kris said, after a moment of silence. "If you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here." Grace nodded in response, with a hesitant smile on her face. Without another word, Kris turned back around and continued down the steps. "Come on, I want to introduce you to somebody."

Kris hurried past the first mate's bedroom and down a second flight of steps, where she knew the unused brig (and Lisbon) would be waiting for them both. In her time on the ship though, she had personally only been down in the brig a handful of times, as Lisbon (prior to the kidnapping) had sent her down to collect a few odds-and-ends from the cells.

"You're not locking me up, are you?" Kris glanced over her shoulder, her dark eyebrows raised in question. Had Jane completely skipped out on telling Grace about Lisbon? "I'm supposed to be learning how to defend myself, Kristina, not spending my days behind bars."

"You mean, you can't fight bars?" Kris dryly asked with the shake of her head. "No, Grace. You're not sleeping down here."

_Yeah_, Kris silently realized, _he didn't tell her and he probably didn't ask Lisbon either_.

"What are we doing down here then?"

Kris sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was going to maim her captain. "Before we can go any further, you need to know something; the individual who will be training you…she's had a rough past few months." She and Jane had briefly discussed what they could and couldn't tell Grace; it was decided that they'd skip over the kidnapping, and while Jane wanted them to bond over Craig O'Laughlin, Kris thought it was a bad idea. Why in the world would _anyone _want to bond over a psychopath? "Because of this, you need to be sensitive to her situation." Kris watched Grace nod. "Don't talk or ask her about her past, don't talk or ask her about Red John, don't stare at or touch her."

The confused expression on Grace's face made Kris shake her head. She doubted Grace would ask Lisbon any of those questions, but she _still _had to lay down the law; if Lisbon mentioned anything about her kidnapping, Kris feared that Grace would run screaming from the ship.

"You should also heed Lewis's instructions. If he tells you to leave, he usually has a good reason for doing so." Of course, Kris had yet to listen to Lewis's instructions. Lewis had no official standing upon the ship and Kris felt that if she wanted to see Lisbon, she very well could! "Above all though, you shouldn't ask her about what she's gone through." Kris watched Grace give a small nod, before she motioned for the newest crewmember to stay put.

While Kris just _wanted _to leave Grace and Lisbon alone, she knew she had to appoint Lisbon to the position first. Walking to the end of the brig, Kris hurriedly knocked on Lisbon's door and waited for _someone _to answer.

"Captain, I've alr…" Lewis stopped in mid-sentence, as Kris met his gaze and crossed her arms against her chest. "Oh, you aren't the Captain."

"No," Kris agreed, disdained. "I'm not." She almost wanted to roll her eyes at him and call him a moron, but with Grace close behind, she knew she couldn't. "I need to speak with Lisbon."

Lewis eyed her. "You can come in, First Mate Saffron." Kris nodded, before she stepped into Lisbon's small room with a grimace. The sparse room was bare, aside from a filthy frameless cot, a closet and a chair.

_This is wrong_, Kris thought. She, Rigsby, Cho and Mashburn had tried to argue against Jane's placement of Lisbon, but none of their words had affected him. He had merely given them all a frown, before he had rattled off some vague answer for why Lisbon couldn't just stay in her old bedroom on the ship.

Jane's logic on the situation, in her opinion, was flawed; Lisbon wasn't quite ready to be around others, yet Jane wanted her working on deck. However, saying something to the _Captain _proved to be a waste of time, as Jane refused to listen. She didn't doubt that he wanted Lisbon to get better, but the general state of her room suggested otherwise.

"Good afternoon, Kristina." Kris heard Lisbon's voice from atop the frameless cot and she glanced down at her best friend with a smile. Not surprisingly, Lisbon didn't return the smile as she kept her eyes on Kris.

"Hi, Lisbon!" Kris greeted, brightly. "How are you doing today?" She watched Lisbon shrug and Kris eyed the too-large pieces of garment on Lisbon with contempt. Kris had offered to the take the previous first mate shopping, but Lisbon only rejected every attempt of reconnecting thus far. "I know the feeling, dear."

The blank stare told her she really didn't.

_I'd know if you'd just talk, _Kris wanted to say. Whatever Carter, O'Laughlin and Red John had done to Lisbon still kept her mum, which made Kris wonder how often Lisbon had nightmares of the tortures she had been subjected to.

"Would you like to use a sword again, Lisbon?" Instead of abusing more small talk, Kris hoped Lisbon would appreciate getting straight to the point. "I know Jane's been having you run errands and such, but while sailing, you have no place to go."

Kris watched a small smile cross Lisbon's lips. "I would, Kristina." Kris almost grimaced at Lisbon's second use of her full first name, as Lisbon knew she hated it, but Kris knew the action would get them nowhere. "Is the Captain okay with this?" Kris frowned. The fact that Lisbon _needed _approval from Jane hit Kris the hardest, especially as pre-kidnapping Lisbon had needed approval from no one.

"He's the one who suggested the idea to me, Lisbon." Kris explained, still with a frown. "In addition to using a sword again, would you train the newest member of our crew? She's never used a sword before."

If Lisbon was surprised at the addition of a new crewmember or the suggestion of teaching, she didn't outwardly show it. "Okay." Kris beamed at Lisbon's answer, as it meant one less thing for her to do upon the Scarlet Oasis. "Where is my sword?"

"Lewis has it." Kris answered. "If you want, I can introduce you to your student." Lisbon slowly nodded, before she stood from her cot and started toward the exit of the room. "Thank you, Lisbon, truly." Kris followed behind Lisbon, who stopped briefly to gather her sword from Lewis and exchange a few private words with him.

Not wanting to eavesdrop, Kris continued back to Grace, who stood with her arms across her chest.

"Is that my instructor?" Grace asked, politely; she had her brown eyes focused on Lisbon, who remained engaged in a lively conversation with Lewis.

Kris nodded. "She's one of the best." Or Lisbon had been one of the best. She didn't want to undermine her best friend, but Lisbon had spent months doing nothing more than just sitting around. "I'll introduce you two, find you a sword, leave, and I'll come find you later." Kris watched Grace nod again, before she motioned for the newest crewmember to follow her. Slowly, they made their way toward Lisbon, who had finally moved away from Lewis with her sword in hand. "Lisbon," she spoke directly to the woman. "I want you to meet our newest crewmember." Kris stepped out of the way and motioned for Grace to introduce herself, hoping the young woman would stick to the rules.

"Grace Van Pelt-Bertram." Grace introduced with a small smile. "I look forward to learning how to swordfight, as it's something I've always wanted to know how to do." Kris smiled at that, while Lisbon eyed Grace.

"Where's your sword, Miss Van Pelt-Bertram?"

"Kristina is trying to find me one." Grace explained.

Kris stepped over to Lewis, who eyed both women in interest. "Lewis, can she borrow your sword for a while?" Lewis moved his gaze from Grace and Lisbon to her.

"Of course, First Mate Saffron." Lewis removed his sword from its scabbard, before he handed it over to Kris. Kris replied with a quiet thank you, before she returned to Grace and presented her with Lewis's sword.

"Be careful," Kris warned her, "this isn't a toy. If you aren't careful, you could hurt yourself or Lisbon."

"I know it's not." Grace responded, softly, as she held steady to the hilt. "Thank..."

"Don't thank me yet, Grace." Kris said, shaking her head. "You've got a far way to go, before you should even consider thanking me." Grace said nothing and Kris stepped backwards, signaling for Lisbon to start her training.

She heard Lewis move to her right and she glanced back at him. "Do you think she's ready for this?"

"Whether she's ready or not," Lewis quietly started. "She's been given an order, and until her Captain tells her otherwise, she'll continue to train the lass." Kris said nothing in response, her eyes focused on the two chatting women.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

Thanks to Frogster for the review!

* * *

"Lisbon." Jane tried to catch the previous first mate's attention, as the brunette woman continued her sweeping motions atop the helm. He could see that her fingers held tightly to the wooden handle, her attention focused completely on the patch of dirt under the wheel. "You don't have to do this anymore."

Her hands stopped and she turned to face him, a frown across her pale face. "Yes, Captain?" Jane stared at her, before he took a step closer and stole the mop from her hands. "I wasn't…"

"Don't worry about it, Lisbon." Jane interrupted. He honestly couldn't see why the woman felt the need to continue swabbing the decks, when she had an entirely different set of roles to concentrate on. "Where's Grace?" He watched Lisbon's shoulders shrug, before her hands went back to the mop. "You're supposed to be training her though…"

"I can't train at all hours of the day, sir." Lisbon explained. "Lewis doesn't want me exhausting myself, as I'm apparently not back to full strength yet." With another shrug of her shoulders, he watched her swab under the wheel again. "And Kristina worries about how long we should train Grace a day."

Jane rolled his eyes at her comment. Of course, Kris would worry about that, especially when she and Grace weren't even getting along! If it had been up to him, the training sessions would have lasted until either woman had passed out from sheer exhaustion.

"I see." Jane said, smiling. "Anyway, I was wondering if I could ask for your opinion on something." Lisbon stopped swabbing to stare at him, her eyebrows raised in surprise. "In all of our ten years on this crew, have I ever asked you for my opinion?"

"No." Lisbon gave and Jane stared at her. "Unless you think there was a time, sir." Jane moved to pinch the bridge of his nose. In the beginning, her unbridled respect had flattered him. But now, being around her all of the time, he just wanted to pretend everything was back to normal.

"Lisbon, call me Jane." Jane ordered and he watched her timidly nod. "I remember asking you for your opinion a few years ago…"

"You asked me about tactical experience, which doesn't count as an opinion." Lisbon pointed out. "Way…" He eyed her. "Rigsby knows tactical experience, as does Cho. I was just your little…" she paused and he wondered what she was thinking, as she shook her head and gave him a small smile. "…first mate, who enjoyed listening to you, her Captain."

Jane beamed in her direction. "You helped with every single thing, Lisbon. Whether you were the first mate or missing," he moved in closer to give her hand a squeeze. "You did help me kill Red John."

"I'm glad I could help you, Jane." Lisbon quietly answered and he gave her hand another squeeze, before he pulled away from her.

"And now, my question has nothing to do with Red John." Jane informed her. "It has everything to do with something I found after you went missing." Lisbon eyed him in confusion. "I don't know if you know it or not, Lisbon, but Kris and I are together. We've been together for almost five months now."

Lisbon continued to stare at him. "I see."

"After O'Laughlin took you away from us, we needed a new first mate. Rigsby and Cho weren't good enough for the job, so Kris took the position. If it weren't for my decision, you wouldn't be here right now." Lisbon remained quiet and Jane continued. "Red John sent someone after her and I protected her, which is why she and I are together now." Silence again. "Do you understand that, Lisbon?" Lisbon nodded. "Good."

"What do you need my opinion about, Jane?"

"If I tell you, Lisbon, you need to keep this a secret from Kris." Jane warned her and he watched her nod again. "I've been thinking about asking Kris for her hand in marriage…"

"No." Lisbon interrupted, hastily. "No." Jane eyed her. What in the world had Lisbon so against the idea of marriage? He treated Kris well, didn't he? Lisbon had no reason to distrust his decision with Kris, as she hadn't been around either of them long enough to know how the relationship worked out. "You shouldn't marry her, Jane."

"And why not, Lisbon?" He brought his arms across his chest and waited for the previous first mate to answer his question. "What do you have against Kris or me in…"

"She's not the marrying type."

_Ah_, Jane thought. Lisbon had a valid point. Kristina Saffron was _not _the type of woman, who would easily tie herself down to anyone, especially because of what _James _did. Weeks ago, he had worried that James would come looking for Grace, but a source on the ship had told him that James wouldn't come looking as he had selfishly left both his sister _and _Kris.

"I'm sure we could work around that." Jane idly commented back, Lisbon looked doubtful. "She'll just need some convincing and a ring, as every woman wants a ring." He watched Lisbon's hand move to encircle her cross and he shook his head. "Why do you continue to wear that?"

"It saved my life." Lisbon answered, which made Jane roll his eyes in response. How could such a silly little object do anything to save her life on the Red Rum? It wasn't like Red John hadn't killed women of great faith before.

"No, Lisbon. _I _saved your life, not a piece of jewelry." Lisbon said nothing again, her eyes on his. "I'm in love with her…"

"You're not in love with her, Jane." Lisbon interrupted again. "You just think you're in love with her."

Jane stared her down. "And what do you know about my feelings for Kris, Lisbon? You weren't here when I kissed her for the first time, were you?" He watched Lisbon shake her head. "Or how the feel of her bare skin against my fingers made me feel? It was a beautiful thing, Lisbon. Something you could never understand." Lisbon's eyes continued to focus on his. "Besides that, what would _you _know about love?" Her silence told him everything he needed to know. "You should just be happy that your _Captain _is happy, Lisbon."

"I am happy." He heard her mutter and he grinned. "But you forget. I know her, Jane. Kris has been my best friend long before you even cared for her. You've been with her for almost five months. I've been her best friend for almost two years."

"You're an excellent best friend too, Lisbon." Jane scoffed in response. "Letting Red John send someone after Kris, especially after all she's done for you, really shows how much you _care_."

"I'm only looking out for her." Lisbon replied, quietly, completely ignoring his previous statement. "If you cared for her, like you say you do, you would wait." Jane stared at her for a moment. Lisbon had missed _five months _of Kris's life, and whether Lisbon wanted to admit it or not, Kris was a completely different person than she had once been.

"I've put my life on hold for years, Lisbon." Jane said. "First, it was Red John. Then, it was you and your kidnapping. I'm through waiting, Lisbon." He watched Lisbon glanced down at the floor. "You've been rescued, Lisbon. I've paid my gratitude to you twice over. You would think you would be supportive. If you want Kris to be happy you wouldn't argue with me as you are ignorant to the subject of love and relationships. I can't even remember the last time you were with a man for more than a night, dear." Although he _had _asked Lisbon for her opinion on his marrying Kris, he had expected Lisbon to be more positive!

"I just want you to be happy. I'm sorry, sir." Lisbon answered.

"And what did I just tell you _not _to do, Lisbon?" Jane continued to keep his arms against his chest.

"To call you sir." Lisbon gave, before she bowed her head and Jane nodded.

Regardless of what Lisbon thought, he was _going _to ask Kris to marry him. It was just the matter of time that he needed first.

* * *

Rigsby stared at Grace with a small smile, as the redheaded crewmember glanced around at the various individuals on the ship. Some of them nodded their heads in response to her, while others merely shrugged and ignored her. Of course, Grace probably didn't mind, as she spent most of her free time around him.

When he had first brought her onto the ship, he thought she'd become good friends with both Kris and Lisbon. However, Kris hadn't gotten any friendlier with Grace and Lisbon rarely said two words to Grace out on the main deck, not that he could blame either of them though, Kris was dealing with past issues and Lisbon was trying to get over her kidnapping.

Cho was civil to Grace, which he appreciated. What he didn't appreciate though were all of the private jokes about his intentions toward her. Rigsby liked Grace as a friend and while she _was _beautiful, she was still getting her footing around on the crew and he didn't need to go messing that up by telling her something out of the blue. Instead, he just chose to follow her around and answer almost any question she had about the crew.

Not surprisingly, her first question _after _her first sword-fighting lesson had been about Lisbon. Kris had apparently given Grace a long list of instructions to follow involving Lisbon, but she hadn't understood _why _Kris would restrict getting personal with the previous first mate. Rigsby had tried to defuse the situation by approaching the subject gently,_ "What you need to understand Grace is that, Kris and Lisbon are best friends. Kris is protective of everyone she cares about. Lisbon has gone through a rough period in the last few months, she's gotten better, but there are still a few issues. I think what Kris was trying to do is make sure that Lisbon will be comfortable with you. If you had asked her all about her past, Grace, Lisbon might shut herself off. Kris doesn't want that. If you respect what Kris has told you, in time, you'll know what happened. It's not my place or business to tell you."_ Grace hadn't understood his reluctance to tell her either, but the last thing he wanted (or needed) was Jane jumping down his throat for giving information out to someone who was new.

After the O'Laughlin incident, disclosure had become the new ship policy. They all had put their trust into O'Laughlin and in the end; it had resulted in one of their own being shot and some of their secrets going into Red John's pocket. Rigsby felt that Grace _was _trustworthy enough to tell her the truth, but they didn't only need to worry about Red John moles anymore. They also needed to worry about the law after their heads, for having killed O'Laughlin, Carter and Red John.

Grace, crewmember or not, was _still _a Bertram; and Rigsby knew enough about the Bertram family to guess that Grace had been taught to tell the truth to her father. If Grace heard about some of the more illegal activities that they all had done during their search for Lisbon, he couldn't say that she wouldn't tell her father if pressed to do so.

And the _last _thing any of them needed was Bertram on their tails, as Kris had already angered the man enough to last several life times.

"Tell me about the Captain, Wayne?" Grace's voice interrupted his thoughts and he blinked in surprise at her. Of all the people she could ask about, she wanted to know about Jane. "When did he become the Captain? And what's his relationship with Lisbon?" Rigsby frowned. Grace was very curious about Lisbon, which was disconcerting. He wanted to trust Grace, but he had learned that _anyone _poking into the business of the crew usually meant nothing good.

"He became Captain after Red John killed his family." Rigsby explained. "He's been Captain of the Scarlet Oasis for ten years, and you know I won't answer any questions about Lisbon, Grace." He watched the young woman frown and he sighed, knowing it wasn't easy for the redheaded woman. She had lost her family, her home, only to find herself in a strange situation where nobody was telling her anything. "If you continue to ask, you're only going to anger Kris."

It was Grace's turn to sigh. "I just want some answers, Wayne. Kristina keeps telling you all to keep things hushed around me, but I want to know why. Why do you all keep so many secrets? Red John is dead and gone, isn't he?"

Rigsby jerked his head toward her, his throat tight with emotion. "We have plenty of enemies, Grace. Killing Red John was—is—a good thing, but others out there would like to believe that we're the bad ones. If they got their hands on certain secrets of ours," he paused to think about Lisbon and her current condition, which was probably because the Red Rum wanted to know their secrets. "They'd want to torture all of us for more."

"Where's the logic in that though?" Grace asked him and he glanced up toward the clouded sky.

"Pirates have no logic." Rigsby explained. "Just ask Jane." He almost chuckled at his own joke, but he realized that Grace actually _liked _Jane and the joke seemed colorless to laugh at. "I mean…" He glanced back at Grace, who shook her head in response. "The Captain isn't completely without logic; he just has his moments of utter stupidity."

"But he captains this ship." Grace pointed out and Rigsby shrugged.

"He and Walter, the man who continues to hit on you, co-own this ship. Walter just refuses to be the first mate or Captain, because he likes being able to hit on the women of the ship." Rigsby responded with a chuckle. "Being Captain means you can't have sexual relations with your crew, regardless of whatever Jane is choosing to do with Kris right now." And he honestly hoped they weren't using the spare docking moments to have a quickie in his office.

"You don't like their relationship?" Grace asked in surprise. Rigsby almost wanted to reply _no one does_, when one of the men called _land ho _and temporarily put an end to their conversation, as Kris swept from the Captain's Quarters.

"Well, at least Jane found a supposedly neutral island." Kris idly commented and Rigsby nodded in agreement. During Red John's reign, most of the islands split three ways on where they stood: with Red John, against Red John or they just didn't care. Shell Island was one of those islands, where the crew could stay for a while and be safe. "Cho and I are going on the island to have a drink, you in?"

Rigsby glanced to Grace. "Go," he heard her say softly. "I'll be fine here." He glanced toward Kris, who merely nodded in agreement with Grace.

"She's hasn't learned enough to step onto the island, Rigsby." Kris informed him and with a nod, he pulled away from Grace with a smile.

"I'll be back later, Grace." Grace nodded. "Why don't you go practice with Lisbon?" A happy smile appeared on Grace's face, which made him happy and he watched her until she faded from his vision.

"You are smitten, my friend." Kris teased, lightly and he rolled his eyes at her. "You can try and deny it all you want, Rigs, but you _like_…"

"Kris," he interrupted, snapping at her. "I hear enough of it from Cho. Lay off." She stared at him in surprise and he sighed. "Sorry. I'm just tense. I can't tell Grace anything, which is bothering me." He wanted to tell her _something _about the crew, _something _that would make her feel as if she truly belonged with them all.

"You're not lying to her, Rigsby." Kris told him with a frown. "You're merely protecting her from what could happen to us all, if we're arrested." With a sigh, he agreed she was right and told her he was ready to explore Shell Island.

* * *

Aiming carefully, Rigsby tossed the dart into the handcrafted dartboard within the bar with ease, much to the irritation of Kris and Cho.

"How is this fair?" Rigsby heard Kris mutter to Cho, who merely shrugged in response. He turned to them both, a smirk on his face. "You know, I could demote you. It wouldn't be too hard to tell Jane that I need a new right hand man."

"You're just upset that you're losing." Rigsby answered her.

"She's upset that you're taking her money." Cho said. "Betting against him was a bad idea."

"Why didn't you tell me that _before _I put the money down on the table, Cho?"

Rigsby eyed her. "He actually did tell you. Remember, we had a conversation about drunken darts…" His smirk grew, as he heard Kris groan. "You should never bet against a man, who created the game of drunken darts."

"Or the man, who once hit the bartender in the leg." Cho commented and Rigsby chuckled, before he tossed another dart, which hit the center of the board with a small thud.

"Pay up, Kris." Rigsby held out his hand and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm not letting you con me out of my money, Rigsby." Kris challenged. "I'll buy you another drink; tease you about the love of your life a little bit more…" Rigsby narrowed his eyes. "And if you're good, I'll buy you something to eat."

"A deal is a deal." Rigsby reminded her and she forked over the wad of cash with the roll of her eyes and a few inappropriate words under her breath. "What was that, Kris? You want me to do what with what?"

"I hate you."

"We both do." Cho responded and Rigsby shot a grin at his best friend. "I'm serious."

"Sure, you are." Rigsby answered, before he split the wad of cash between himself and Cho. Kris stared at them both. "You've just lined our pockets for the next week, thanks Kris!"

"Don't make me shoot you both."

"I doubt Jane would be happy if you shot me." Cho corrected her and she glared at him, as he tucked the money away. Rigsby almost chuckled at the look of death on her face, but he decided against it; with Kris's attention on him, she could kill him with one of her weapons and make it look accidental.

"Yeah, well…" Kris started, but stopped at the lack of sound within the bar. Rigsby glanced to Cho, who merely shrugged again. "Why in the hell is it so quiet in here all of a sudden?"

"Maybe Jane walked in?" Rigsby suggested, quietly and Kris side-eyed him. "Bad joke, I know." Rigsby could hear footsteps within the bar and he honestly hoped Jane hadn't showed up, considering they hadn't tested out the island completely yet.

"Either," Kris spat due to the sudden silence that incased the bar, "all of the liquor has been confiscated from this bar or someone who thinks they're important has just walked in." Rigsby craned his neck out to try to spot, whoever had just caused an entire bar to go silent, but he couldn't see anything.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **I have yet to obtain the rights to The Mentalist. It's probably because I would make the entire show about pirates. ;)

Thanks to Frogster for the review! :D

* * *

"Either," Kris spat, due to the sudden silence within the bar, "all of the liquor has been confiscated from this bar or someone who thinks they're important has just walked in." She glanced at Rigsby, who had his eyebrows raised in disbelief, before she managed to shrug her shoulders. If she had honestly wanted the peace and quiet, she would have visited Deadens' Island; bars, to her, were meant to be loud and full of so-called "meaningful conversation" (when in reality, it was just drunken jargon). She had always viewed them (the bars on Jubilee Island, especially) as places where one could fall in "love" for the night and be rid of the man _and _the feelings the next mornings.

Where the bar patrons were there for one purpose and one purpose only—to forget. On Jubilee Island, she had used bars (and the vice of rum) to help her forget about someone, who had once wronged her. The idea that _anyone _could silence the patrons of the bar with a simple arrival angered her, as her father had done the same thing for _years _to her; and in anger, she grabbed one of the darts from Rigsby's hand and threw it into the board with the roll of her eyes.

It missed and clattered to the floor, but she didn't care. Silence wasn't something she enjoyed.

"Rigsby, Cho," she continued, thankful for her own voice, "do either of you want to leave? Someone seems to have killed the fun in here." She glanced to Rigsby, who had taken a seat and was fiddling with the cracked handle on his pewter mug, while Cho merely took a sip of his own. She huffed at their behaviors and threw herself down in the third chair, crossing her arms against her chest and tossing her feet onto the well-worn wooden table with a loud _thump_.

She tried to ignore the gapes from the other bar patrons with the shake of her head. Neither her father nor Governor Bertram had been able to achieve _this _type of reaction from the islanders, which made her wonder if the island just wasn't used to an outspoken woman. Before she had the opportunity to ask Cho and Rigsby again, she heard a male voice from behind her speak.

"Rum," the voice dryly ordered, before she heard the clink of coins hitting against wood. Kris uncrossed her arms and moved to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"That's what we've all been silenced for?" She questioned rather loudly, unable to help herself. "For someone to place an order and throw coins down? Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" She released her thumb and forefinger from the bridge of her nose and placed her face in her hands.

_This is ridiculous_, she thought with an unseen scowl as footsteps sounded again. She almost opened her mouth to say something else, when she heard Cho clear his throat and she pulled her face from her hands. Instead of turning to glance at the pompous idiot behind her, she glanced at Cho.

"Yes?" Cho glanced behind her and she sighed. She had no intentions of turning around, but the idiot _had _ruined her night out with the boys; and as far as she was concerned, she wanted to see who thought they were so important.

With a sickly sweet smile, she turned her head and glanced behind to find a dark figure looming over her. She rolled her eyes at the failed intimidation tactic that the person was trying to use; she had seen and heard worse, than whatever Mr. Pompous Jerk could do or say to her.

She couldn't see his face, due to the lack of light within their little corner of the bar, and that was just fine with her. Even without seeing his expression, Kris had already predicted what he would say, _"You're being rude, could you please…?" _

"Leave the bar," the male's voice finished her thoughts and her eyes widened; no please, no thank you, no threats? Was it Jane trying to pull a fast one? She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to try to identify the dark figure, but after a moment of silence, she knew it wasn't Jane. If it had been him, he would have fallen over in a fit of laughter at how she had fallen for his simple prank. She rolled her eyes again at the continued, she assumed, glaring.

"After you, your majesty." Surprisingly, she saw the omniscient figure leave the speakeasy without another word. Kris motioned for Rigsby and Cho to follow her out as well, but not before she vocalized herself to the bar again, "his excellency needs us to follow him outside." She motioned her hand towards the bar's exit swinging door, all the while making sure her voice was both loud and oozing with sarcasm. "Apparently, there are laws against having fun and chatting when he appears."

Finally, with Cho and Rigsby behind her, she pushed through the double doors of the establishment and waited outside the doors for Mr. Pompous Jerk (who had also apparently stopped not too far from the speakeasy) to face her. From the back of him, she noticed, he seemed to be some kind of an official upon the island.

Mr. Pompous Jerk had his attention focused on other men, who looked _just _as official as he did. She had no clue as to who they were or what position they held on the island, nor did she care. Kris patiently waited for one of the men to order her (and the crew) off the island, which filled her with irritation. Kris knew Jane would have her head, especially if he heard that _she _(his first mate) had been the one to get the Scarlet Oasis banned from the island, but she knew they could easily find another island.

Kris glanced down at the stones, tapped her foot, before she ran her fingers through her hair, and looked back up to find that the figure that had told her to leave the bar was slowly turning around.

_He did it_? Her eyebrows lifted and her mouth dropped slightly. It was James Bertram. _He was the asshole, who told me to leave? _She scoffed at the very thought and rolled her eyes once more. She had warned Jane that Grace's appearance on the Scarlet Oasis was an omen of bad things to come and she had been right; the fact that James, her ex-fiancé, was now walking toward her had to be the bad omen she had predicted. _Of all the islands_, she continued to think bitterly, _my Captain and I could choose; it just had to be _his?

She blinked to find him standing before her, arms crossed against his broad chest and an emotionless expression across his face.

"You were quite rude in there," he reprimanded, still emotionless. She continued to tap her foot against the stones and tried to pretend his appearance hadn't shaken her. Years ago (long before Timothy Carter), James had used to be the only one who had been able to affect all of her decisions and thoughts. She had been in love with him.

However, that was in the past and so was he.

Because he hadn't been able to keep his word about how he would never concede to his father's wishes, he had left her. James had claimed that he had never loved her and since his father had been incapable of love, even toward his own wife, Kris knew she should have seen it coming, but _no_. She had been naïve to think that "love" was something that could last forever, when in reality; it only lasted a few years or even a few hours.

Her parents, for example, were the prime example of that one. David and Jenna, at one time, had probably loved each other. As the years had gone on and she had been born, their love had faded away into nothing more than a forced and abusive marriage that neither could rid themselves of, unlike their first-born child that was.

James, she knew, had found the money and the status to be so much more important than anything she could give him. He had told her so in the letter that he had left her, right before she had prepared to answer his marriage proposal with a _yes_. Although, she couldn't say she wasn't surprised to find James running a low-status island; the Governor, after all, did need to infiltrate his pro-Red John ideas into the system with James's help, of course.

"Well, well, well. Look at who decided to stay on the edge of Daddy's leash," she spat back at him, ignoring his comment. She uncrossed her arms and brought one of her hands to rest near her scabbard, just in case he decided to get any ideas about having his way with her. "I have to give him credit, he trained you well. You're a complete jackass now. Not that you weren't three years ago, but still, it must run in the Bertram line."

"I'm the Governor."

She could only manage to blink. Did he _really _think that she cared about his damned position? Or that it would impress her? If her previous comment made him think, "I'm the Governor" was the appropriate response, he truly was a moron. What in the hell had he turned into?

In her opinion and the more he talked, the more he sounded like his father and the more she wanted to use her sword on him.

"For now." She scoffed and twisted her lips into a dark smirk. "That is, until you decide to pack up and leave like you do with everyone else you claim to care about." His only response was a blank stare and she turned around. Kris wasn't about to stick around and wait for the cuffs to latch against her wrists, much like Daddy wanted. She had done nothing wrong and if making a few jokes was a crime, then she would need to tell Jane that they could never return to the island, because the Governor of the island was even more senile than his father.

Kris clenched her fists together. James had probably recognized her, because she was the only person who would talk to him in that way. The other patrons at the bar seemed to be terrified of him, seeing as how they had gone silent when he had made his entrance. It was better that she walked away from the, already, bad situation and just forget that the reunion between them had ever happened.

James obviously wasn't going to apologize for his behavior, as Daddy _never _apologized and she had no interest in having a chat with a well-known liar. James re-entering back into the picture would only complicate things further, especially if either one of them continued to pursue the conversation.

And whether anyone believed her or not, she _was _happy with Jane and she had moved on from James. If the relationship with Jane did end, there were other men out there. James had lost his chance long ago and she wasn't one for a second go around. Besides, why in the world would she want to try again?

There was a reason the relationship had failed and it had been his own fault, considering _she _had been the one to put her heart and soul into being with him back then. They had made plans—she and he were going to run off, they were going to live together somewhere far off and be _happy_—they had wanted to do things once they had been old enough to get rid of their parents. However, James had decided with a _letter _that he didn't want any of that; the asshole hadn't even had enough courage to tell her that he planned to go along with his father, again.

His leaving and decision had crushed her heart and spirit, but after Lisbon had brought her back to the Scarlet Oasis, everything had finally started to look up. She had been able to stop dwelling on what he had done to her, because Lisbon had kept her busy. Kris had briefly told Lisbon about James when she had first started on the ship, but after that, they had never discussed him again. It was a painful thing to discuss back then and so, just to not hear of the subject, she had told Lisbon with an uneasy smile, _"Don't worry about it. He won't affect my work, I promise." _

As painful as the whole situation with James had been, her thoughts of him had started to fade away after a few months of being on the Scarlet Oasis. He only seemed to pop back into her thoughts when someone mentioned him directly, which had happened twice in the past year or so.

Kris opened her mouth to address Rigsby, when she heard his voice call out to her. She managed to roll her eyes, ignoring the glance between Cho and Rigsby, to turn back around and stare at him.

"Miss Saffron, please do not create such a disturbance again or you and your…" he hesitated, while he reached out his hand to hers, "friends will not be allowed back on the island." His hand remained steady, apparently waiting for her hand. The shaking of the hand and order combination, she assumed, was obviously something that his father had taught him, _"be polite, but be authoritative at the same time. You want people to fear and adore you, my beloved son."_

She almost snorted. Back on the Scarlet Oasis, all she had to do was glare at a crewmember and they would bend over backwards. Adoration and fear, Kris knew from her father, were the same things; David had never been the governor over Manse Island, but he had a type of personality that others feared. His acts of "adoration" (a compliment, a purchase, a random smile) usually became acts to fear later on (the compliment led to something going missing, a purchase led to something getting destroyed later on and a random smile led to a beating).

"How about you get your so-called friends to shake your hand, asshole?" Kris spared a look at the other men, who stared at them both with predatory smiles. "He's your governor, isn't he? Aren't you all supposed to bend over backwards and kiss his ass?" None of them moved and James's hand still lingered in front of her. Reluctantly, she took his hand and squeezed it as hard as she could with a dirty smirk.

She couldn't hurt him emotionally, but she sure as hell could hurt him physically.

James didn't react or say a word, as she continued to put pressure on his hand. He was blankly staring past her, so she brought her foot down against his before she turned back toward Rigsby and Cho.

Kris clenched her fists together at his lack of reaction, when she felt a small object rub against the calluses of her palm. She furrowed her brows in confusion, before she brought her clenched fist to her face and opened her hand to find a small golden necklace; a golden heart pendant with a long chain. Her mouth dropped slightly and she closed her fist again, before she merely pretended to toss the necklace onto the small dirt patch of ground and spit onto it. Her foot rubbed into the dirt patch a few times, before she continued back to her crewmembers with a vicious smile.

_Let that be his message_, she silently thought as she stuffed her fists into her pockets and dropped the necklace carelessly. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest at the thought of having the accursed necklace again, especially as James had given it to her _a year _before he had left with his lies.

_ "This is for you, love." James said, as he had held out a long velvet box. Kris had stared at him questioningly, the moonlight shining down upon both of them, before her fingers had hesitantly latched onto the box. In her hands, the velvet box had been soft and incredibly light. She had eyed James. _

_ "What is this?" She had inquired; it hadn't been their anniversary or her birthday, not that Kris liked to keep track of those things. Kris had watched James shake his head and throw her a smile. _

_ "Just open it. It isn't a snake." He responded, teasingly and she had glared. He had moved to cross his arms against his chest, his green eyes on hers. Before she had the chance to say another word, he had continued. "I felt the need to show you how I felt about you, Kris. I know you're not into gifts or jewelry, but I saw it and I thought of you." She had only been able to roll her eyes at his cheesiness, before she had opened the box. _

_Inside the box, surrounded by black velvet, she found a golden heart pedant inside. _

_Her eyes had gone to his, a silent thank you on her lips, before she pressed her lips to his. _

Kris quickly shoved the memory aside and closed her eyes, before she felt someone's hand to her shoulder and she opened her eyes to find Rigsby. She shrugged him (and his concern) away.

"I'm fine." She reassured him, at his concerned look. However, she could tell that Rigsby didn't believe her for one second. Kris plastered a fake smile on her face; she had no desire to talk about James, the events that had just happened, or the past, but she knew Rigsby would try; so, she waited for him to say something anxiously.

"You don't look fine, Kris." Rigsby retorted, as he ran his fingers through his hair. "For a minute, you looked as though you were about to cry."

"Me? Cry?" She scoffed, inwardly cringing at the thought of crying over him _again_. "I think you're confusing me with Jane, Rigsby." She shook her head. "Aside from that, why in the world would I cry over a past mistake?" She watched his mouth drop slightly, surprise and confusion written across his face, before she continued toward the direction of the Scarlet Oasis.

When she noticed they weren't following her, she turned her head over her shoulder and shouted at them both. "What in the hell are you two waiting for? The Governor to _show _emotion? Good luck with that one."

She heard their footsteps behind her and they continued back to the Scarlet Oasis in silence, where she would continue to be haunted by her demons. She would go back and find Grace Van Pelt Bertram, the only other person who was a constant reminder of the life she hated, the life she had once wanted, and the life that she could never have.

Everything about the Bertram family pissed her off more than Grace would or could understand. None of that was Grace's fault, of course. Gale Bertram had locked his daughter away for years and had lied to her about the events surrounding everything. Because of those lies, Grace blamed Kris for the cancellation of her wedding with Craig O'Laughlin, she blamed her for James leaving home and never writing, and finally, Grace blamed Kris for taking away her own father's love. Which, to Kris, was ridiculous; Governor Bertram was _not _a loving man, but a hateful one, who only cared about his power in society and his money. Grace, she thought, would never understand that. She only wished that Grace could see it the way she had with her own father, who was a selfish and cowardly man, but it took time.

And time just wasn't something Kris had anymore, as the constant, "my father said this…" or "my father said that…" from Grace was enough to piss her off.

_If only Grace had never appeared on the Scarlet Oasis, _she thought with a slight scowl, _then, maybe I could have finally forgiven myself for what happened. _

* * *

With a forced smile, Jane hurried up the steps of the helm to meet his girlfriend, who had finally returned from her afternoon out on Shell Island. He gave Cho a brief nod, before he stepped to wrap his arms around Kris.

Kris didn't pull away or wrap her arms around him and he frowned at her odd behavior. Something was obviously eating at her, as she hadn't met his affections with an eye roll or some offhanded comment about how if he put all of his energy into captaining the ship instead of kissing her, he'd actually be a better Captain.

He dismissed both Rigsby and Cho with a wave of his hand, before he pressed his lips against hers. "Hello, my love. How was your afternoon on the island?" He briefly watched Kris fiddle with her fingers and shift in his hold; he wanted to know what had unsettled his first mate, but he knew that if he tried to pry he would only get a sword to his neck. He didn't want to die, especially not if he had planned to spend the rest of his life with her.

"There's a good bar just north of here," Kris finally replied, her voice full of contempt. "However," she continued, "if you like to have fun or make jokes, you should stay away." He furrowed his eyebrows at his first mate. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he knew this was Kris's friendly way of saying, _"Butt out. This is none of your business." _

He nodded in response. "How is the island in terms of Red John supporters?" Jane patiently waited for Kris to respond to his question, as he doubted that she had even heard him, but he quickly lost his patience with her. They had briefly discussed the potential Red John follower threat on Shell Island, because neither of them had stepped foot onto the island before; Governor's Island was a good month away from Shell Island, which had given him the momentum to decide that the island was safe enough to investigate. "Kris?" Her eyes shot to him.

"I'm sorry. You asked me something?" She replied, without much care or sincerity in that apology.

"I asked, if you had found out anything about this island's stance on Red John," he repeated, slowly. Her lack of apology made him impatient; if he had wanted someone's half-assed attention, he would just go talk to Lisbon _again_. After his conversation with the previous first mate earlier that afternoon, dragging answers out of others was the last thing he truly wanted to deal with.

"Oh," she started, still absentmindedly, "they don't seem to care too much, but we were at a bar. The town was at least a good distance away." He had the urge to scoff at her response, but he resisted; she was in a bad mood and if he wanted something from her later, he couldn't press his luck. He wished his crewmembers and officers would take their duties more seriously, especially as Red John followers (like Gale Bertram) were still a major threat to him and the Scarlet Oasis. They were all destined for the gallows if they weren't careful and the fact that Kris, Rigsby and Cho had just sat at a bar for a few hours meant they had done little to no work; and it frustrated him.

"I wish you had done a bit more than just drink, Kris. You're the first mate on this crew and I hold you to high standards. Lisbon would have never done this." He had tried to keep his calm with her, but her attitude needed to change; he was her Captain and _no _first mate talked to their Captain like that.

He watched her narrow her eyes, before she proceeded to glare. He braced himself for her sword, by lowering his own hands to his scabbard, but her sword never came. Instead, he heard the anger in her tone. "Red John and his theories could _eventually_ come to this island, but for now, it seems to be neutral. Thanks for asking how I'm doing by the way." Jane watched her roll her eyes and she turned on her heels. "Would you please just get off the Red John thing? For goodness sakes, he's dead. You killed him. You showed me the body and you showed Lisbon the body. You killed him, now let it go." Jane felt his shoulders tense at her words, anger building up within him.

Did she honestly think Red John was _gone _just because a sword went through his chest? Or just because he had _bleed _out onto the wooden planks, all over himself and Lisbon. He bit his tongue to keep himself from saying anything he knew he'd regret, but he still thought she was stupid. He was only concerned for her and the crew's safety, but Kris apparently didn't understand that. If the idiot wanted to continue to be lulled into a false sense of security, he would let her; he'd tell her that everything was okay or he'd just leave her alone when another Red John follower came after her in an alleyway.

Kris had to learn by actions that took place, not words, that threats _still _existed. Words obviously meant nothing to Kris, if they had no action behind them. The first mate had _always _been the kind of woman, who had to see something to believe it and the idea of telling her almost made him laugh. Kris was so stubborn, which was _why_ he supposed that he was in love with her.

"I'll be downstairs," Kris spat, her arms against her chest, "don't become too paranoid while I'm gone." Before he could say another word, he watched her storm from the helm with a roll of his eyes. Did she really need to be _that _dramatic?

_Oh well_, he thought, _she'll apologize later when she actually realizes she crossed a line there. _

Instead of following her (or assigning someone else to calm her down, as he sometimes did), he merely turned his back to the steps and stared out into the water. He had no doubts that Kris would eventually tell him whatever had her hot under the collar, as she would rethink everything in their conversation (something she often did, which she thought he didn't know) and realize he had only been trying to be _helpful_.

But, of course, Kris didn't want his help. She wanted to do everything herself, and that was exactly why they were "fighting" (if one could call their words a fight); Kris couldn't do _everything _by herself and it showed in her fraying temper. Anyone in control of themselves and their actions could deflect their tempers until later, but Kris couldn't.

And if Kris couldn't control her temper, the problem most likely pointed to someone in her past. Jane doubted the problem involved her parents, as they had already faced and crossed _that _problem months ago and in the months he had been romantically linked to her, he learned that they rarely crossed the same issue (aside from Lisbon and Red John) twice.

So if not her parents or someone on the crew, Jane deduced, the problem had to rely directly with the Bertram family—most likely, James Bertram.

_What made her think of him though_? Jane silently wondered. The last time Kris had willingly (to his knowledge, anyway) thought of her ex-fiancé had been shortly after her drunken escapade; she had shouted about James getting nothing for the next week, which had clued Jane into the idea that Kris really _had _loved James at one point. _Maybe it was the alcohol. _Some memories, he knew, were touch or taste specific, which meant that the very taste of alcohol had probably sent Kris into a spiral of memories about her ex.

Jane only hoped they were bad memories, even though he wasn't being spiteful. He didn't want his girlfriend to be thinking about another man, especially as he hadn't thought of another woman in months. Lisbon and Grace were the closest women to him and he wasn't sexually attracted to either of them, so Kris had nothing to worry about on his end.

On Kris's end though, he wasn't so sure. The woman continued to step into bars without him and it worried him, as he had no idea who she was with. He didn't want to be a possessive boyfriend, but he had carried the same weight in his marriage with Angela; and he knew people rarely changed their tunes. The amount of time he had spent away from his wife and daughter had made him weary of others, who thought it was _okay _to step into the home and fulfill his role as father and husband.

Angela had always denied any other lovers, and he had always believed her. Red John, however, had written differently.

_You had others. She had me. Neither of you were clean; she and your beloved daughter just had to pay for your sins. _

The ink-filled page from Red John (just prior to finding his wife and child, cut open and dead) had sent him into a blinding rage. He had never once cheated on his wife and he doubted his wife would have even gone _near _Red John, as the deceased captain had been a coward. Jane snorted at the memory of Red John's expression of pain after having a sword through the chest; his mouth half open, his eyes toward Lisbon, as if he had actually expected _her _to save him.

Of course, Lisbon hadn't; he had watched her glance down at Red John with a dark smirk on her face, before she had wrapped her hands around the handle of his sword and twisted the blade further into his chest.

_"You'll never touch us again, you son of a bitch." Lisbon had cursed, her long and dirty locks of brown hair matted with red. _

He had completely understood Lisbon's reasoning for twisting the sword in further, even without her trying to explain that Red John had stolen nine years of happiness from them both. However, a small part of him _still _blamed her for not listening to his orders. If she had just stayed on the Scarlet Oasis _after _he had ordered her to, O'Laughlin wouldn't have found her; the journey for Red John could have continued _and _Lisbon would have never been the one to deliver the final blow to Red John.

"Captain Patrick Jane?" A male's voice interrupted his train of thought and in annoyance, Jane spun on heels to glance at the newcomer. The male obviously wasn't a pirate, Jane realized, as he was wearing wealthier clothing: a Shell Island Navy uniform, polished leather shoes, brass buttons, and a moss green scabbard to hold his sword. The moss green color on his scabbard meant that the man held some type of position on Shell Island and if Jane had to make an educated guess, he had a feeling that the newcomer was the Governor.

"No," Jane lied through his teeth, "you just missed him. He's actually off on the island, gathering fire to burn this ship down." The Governor didn't look too amused and Jane grinned. He wasn't about to offer himself over to the Governor without a fight. "Have you ever met him?"

"No." The Governor responded.

"Well, if you ever do," Jane continued, "you should know that he's a charming man with astonishingly good looks, but his heart is owned by one. He singlehandedly killed Captain Red John, First Mate Craig O'Laughlin and Navigator Timothy Carter, while managing to find a room full of goats on the Red Rum." Jane paused to cross his arms against his chest. "Because Captain Jane killed these three monsters, he has been living a monogamous lifestyle; one woman, one ship, one crew, one sword, one body part…I'm sure you get the picture."

The Governor raised his dark eyebrows. "I'm not sure I want this picture you're painting."

"You're missing out on a lot then." Jane replied. "For example, you're missing out on a beautiful woman. Brunette hair, hazel eyes, skillful swordfighter, love of my life, excellent in bed…" Jane paused again, only to hear the sound of someone stomping up the helm stairs and he held out his arm. "And there she is; my beautiful girlfriend."

Jane watched as the expression on Kris's face went from irritation to outrage and he stepped back. Was she angry with him, because he had informed a complete stranger that she was good in bed? Kris _had _been the one to tell him to tell the truth, after all.

"What in the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm the Captain, Kris." Jane said. "The Scarlet Oasis is _my _ship, unless you had other ideas." His waggled his eyebrows toward her, which she completely missed.

"I'm here to arrest your boyfriend, Miss Saffron." The Governor responded and Jane glanced between the two. Kris had moved one of her hands toward her scabbard, while the Governor stood still.

"I haven't even known you for five minutes and you're already labeling me as someone's property," Jane informed him, dryly. "I'm sure Kris doesn't appreciate…"

"Shut up, Jane." Kris interrupted, hastily and he glanced at her. "You have no idea what you're dealing with here, so back off."

He narrowed his eyes. "This is my ship. I'm being _arrested_. I would think I have some say in what is going on here." He watched her roll her eyes. "Rolling your eyes is why we're in this mess, Kris."

"It's better that you're quiet right now." Kris tried to hush him. "If you say anything else, you're going to incriminate yourself." Didn't Kris realize that he _enjoyed _incriminating himself?

Instead of following Kris's instruction, he opened his mouth. "I obviously know this is the Governor, but does he have a name? I don't typically get arrested without knowing the name of my arresting officer first."

Jane heard Kris huff. "Jane, this is Governor James Bertram. _Governor_, this is Captain Jane. Now that you know each other, get off our ship." Kris's acidic tone amused him. It was interesting to see her anger aimed toward someone else for once, especially an ex-lover. Jane eyed James in interest; he was emotionless, so how in the world had Kris fallen in love with him?

_I'll ask her when I'm not being arrested_, he thought.

"Governor Gale Bertram…"

"Master _or _Daddy." Kris interrupted, sardonically. James glanced at Kris, nonplussed.

"…has requested that you be sent to the gallows and sentenced for your various crimes of piracy." Jane blinked at James, before he burst out laughing. Something about James's threat amused him greatly, probably the fact that Kris hadn't stopped glaring yet. "I am also required to arrest First Mate Saffron…"

"You'll have to kill me first." Jane heard Kris spit.

"…and Teresa Lisbon, for having helped in killing Captain Red John."

The laughter stopped.

"If you touch her," Kris said, almost hissing, "I'll cause you severe pain. Lisbon did nothing wrong, Governor."

"The jury will decide that, Miss Saffron." James responded.

"What jury? They're swayed by your father." Kris challenged. "That's not a fair trial. You're making a mockery of the entire court system, _Mister _Bertram. Why don't you run along and play with your island whores, hm? I'm sure you'd get them on their knees faster."

"I'm simply here to do my job." James answered, blankly. Jane almost felt the need to tell him that his job was pointless; nobody on the ship was going to surrender quietly, especially as nobody had done anything wrong. "Turn around, Mr. Jane."

"It's _Captain _Jane." Jane corrected. "Captain Patrick Jane of the Scarlet Oasis. If you're going to arrest me, how about you address me with some respect?"

"Enough, Jane." Kris ordered again. "If you continue blabbering on, I'll _let _the Governor have you. I know he'll just leave you behind anyway." Jane inched himself closer to Kris, where he wrapped his arm around her in comfort. She didn't shrug him off or relax in his light hold, but he could feel her trembling slightly against him.

_She never gets a break_; he thought with a frown, _first Lisbon's disappearance, next her parents and then her ex-fiancé._

Jane kept an eye on James, who eventually took a step closer; The Governor's hand extended slightly toward him, when Kris stepped between them both with her sword raised.

"I wouldn't try it, Governor. If you value your life, I'd walk away."

Jane watched, as James twisted his torso into clashing his sword against Kris's sword. The two blades locked with a loud _clank_, before Kris raised her blade and tried to make a swipe at James's ankles. James jumped back, his own sword defending against her harsh counterattack; and from the grim smile on her face, Jane knew she was tempting the idea of murder. Jane's stomach lurched, as Kris's sword came within inches of James's neck.

He almost pulled out his own sword. He didn't _want _to be arrested for having done something right, but he didn't want _her _being sentenced to death for having lobbed off the Governor's head. Regardless of the fact, he could watch her swordfight all day; he knew someone had to put an end to the fighting, as Kris was out for the Governor's blood.

James narrowly defended another attack with his sword, before Jane watched Kris knock James's sword of his hand and shove him down. Her sword hovered over his heart and Jane stepped closer to whisper in her ear.

"Don't kill him, Kris."

"Who said anything about killing him, Jane?" Jane heard the sneer in Kris's voice and he moved his hand toward his own scabbard. "I'm just going to rough pretty boy up a little; I think he'd look good with a scar across his cheek, just so he could know exactly how I felt when Carter hit me." Kris's blade came dangerously close to James's cheek, the silver metal brushing across his face.

"Kris." Jane warned. "You're better than this." He was supposed to be the only "killer" on the Scarlet Oasis; he was supposed to be the only one with blood on his hands. If Kris wanted the Governor dead, all she had to do was ask and he would deliver the final blow, because he _wasn't _better than that.

"I am, am I?" Kris questioned, still tracing James's cheek with her sword. "How would I know? I'm only a filthy _wench_, who didn't do as the Bible instructed. Who went against everything that David Saffron and Gale Bertram stood for, as they are the only _good _men left in the world."

Jane watched James swallow with a grimace, scanning the man's face for _any _sign of emotion. While James's face was set in a stoic mask, his green eyes told a completely different story; Jane found regret, sadness, and love within the man's stare, as he continued to focus on Kris.

It was then that Jane realized that James Bertram was _still _in love with Kris, no matter what the Governor said or did otherwise.

_This can't happen_; Jane thought with a sneer, _I've worked hard to get Kris. I'm keeping her, because I'm in love with her. James Bertram lost his chance and if he thinks he's getting her back, he'll be dealing with me first. I'm not above killing him to keep my future wife._

"Governor Bertram," Jane finally heard Kris speak again, "I have every right to kill you, as you are trespassing on the Scarlet Oasis. You are breaking several codes by just being here today and unless you come back with more than just your good for nothing words, you _will _be taking nobody but you and your worthless sword off this ship."

Jane hid his grin behind his hand. It didn't matter if James _loved _Kris, as Kris didn't love him. Kris's anger was blocking any possible feelings for him and as long as Jane continued to _play _with those feelings of anger, he knew he had absolutely nothing to worry about. Kris would need someone after this situation with James and he would lend her his shoulder, where he would begin to mold her into something James _would never _touch again—a married woman.

_Kris was right; Grace was a bad omen. _Jane continued to think. _If I get rid of her, before anybody can tell her that her brother is on the island, James won't have a reason to stick around. _

His smile grew. He knew a perfect way to get rid of Grace too, as Lisbon would be all too eager to help him.

Slowly, the Governor rose to his feet again and without another word (or glance at either of them), he hurried off the ship.

And all Jane could think was, _coward_.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **I've never claimed to own _The Mentalist_, so why should I start now?

Thanks to Loes-chan and Frogster for the reviews!

* * *

Jane didn't bother announcing his presence to the room, as he sat down next to Lewis, who watched the mock sword fighting between Lisbon and Grace in interest. His eyes didn't flicker to Jane, even as the pirate Captain moved to ask a question of him.

"How are they doing?" Jane managed to ask, over the loud clanking of the sword's blades. He moved his eyes from Lewis to Grace, who was holding her own against Lisbon; the young woman's white top held traces of blood and the material held rips, from where he assumed that Lisbon had lightly nicked her with her sword.

"Good." Lewis responded, sounding distracted. "Miss Van Pelt is a natural with a sword." Jane eyed Lewis again, confused. If someone was a natural with a sword, their clothing was _not _supposed to remind him of the tattered Red Rum flag, stained with blood. "She's been using that particular shirt for practice. In the beginning, Teresa got her a few times and Officer Rigsby was tempered. Now, she's getting Teresa." Jane moved to watch Lisbon, who narrowly missed Grace's blade by defending the attack. "I believe it has something to do with her declining health again, Captain. I've discovered that she's not sleeping."

Jane spared another glance at Lewis. "She's not sleeping?" Lewis shook his head, a frown on his lips. "Does she say why?"

"She's paranoid." Lewis answered back. "Captain," Lewis's eyes met his. "I fear for Teresa's health and mental wellbeing. She's been unhappier lately and…" A loud cry caught both of their attentions. Jane twisted his head around to stare at Grace, whose red-stained hands clutched at her bloody thigh. "Teresa!" Lewis was out of his seat and Jane watched the young crewmember rush to Lisbon, who had her sword pointed at Grace's neck. "Please, put your weapon down. You're…" Jane watched as Lisbon's bloody sword flew from her hands and her fists beat against Grace, causing the young woman to curl into herself. Lewis wrapped his arms around Lisbon's stomach and pulled her backwards, the ex-first mate continued to struggle in Lewis's arms, until she fell limp within his grasp. Jane quickly approached, kicking Lisbon's sword to the corner of the brig, before assessing the damage between both parties.

Aside from the blood on Lisbon's fists, Lisbon appeared fine. Her green eyes were open wide, while she stared off into nothing. Jane could hear Lewis soothing her with his meaningless whispers, before he glanced down at Grace.

"Grace? Are you okay?" Jane stared down at the young woman, who trembled slightly. "Grace?" Jane bent down to place his hand against Grace's unharmed shoulder, when she shot up off the floor. "You're fine, okay?" He almost smirked at her reaction to his touch; he hadn't expected Lisbon to attack Grace, but it most certainly worked in his favor. The red haired crewmember eyed Lisbon, fearfully. "What in the world happened?" Grace said nothing and he turned to Lisbon. "Lisbon, what happened?"

"She touched me, Captain." Lisbon balefully responded. Jane shook his head and shot Grace a sympathetic smile, which she returned slightly.

"Didn't we tell you not to touch her, Miss Van Pelt?" Lewis asked, coolly. Jane watched Grace glance at her fellow crewmember, skittishly. "First Mate Saffron specifically gave you an order, did she not?" Grace nodded. "We did not just tack that order on for fun. I am able to touch Teresa, because I've spent months with her. The Captain is able to touch her, because she trusts him. You, she knows nothing about."

"I didn't mean…"

"You're a foolish woman, Miss Van Pelt." Lewis threw at Grace, much to Jane's hidden amusement. Lewis had every right to be angry; Lisbon was his responsibility. "Do you know what your touch _could _have done? She was just starting to feel _comfortable _again after Red John had tortured her for months and you've probably just sent her back in her healing! You've ruined all of our hard work to get her back where she was, good job!" The anger in Lewis's face caused Grace to step backwards. "The first mate is not going to like this! Not only have you knocked Teresa back, you've probably destroyed her relationship with First Mate Saffron! Do you care for nobody but yourself?"

Jane watched Grace flinch. "I'm…I'm sorry." Lewis narrowed his eyes on Grace, before he let go of Lisbon and stormed off toward Lisbon's bedroom. Once the door had slammed shut, Grace limped from the room, leaving only himself and Lisbon in the room. Jane slowly approached her and put his hand on her back.

"Let's go." He watched her nod and he escorted her from the room and off the ship, his hand on her shoulder all the while. "I hear you haven't been sleeping lately." Jane spoke, after they had managed to put a good distance between themselves and the Scarlet Oasis.

He heard Lisbon inhale sharply. "Nightmares."

"About the Red Rum?"

"Yes."

"Ah." Jane said nothing else. He had absolutely no desire to know what haunted Lisbon in her sleep, as he had a strange feeling that her nightmares involved beatings on the Red Rum. "Have you spoken to Kris lately?" Lisbon said nothing for a moment and Jane frowned. Maybe he had underestimated Lisbon's relationship to Kris, especially as the ex-first mate hadn't been herself lately.

"I have." Lisbon finally admitted and Jane's frown became a grin. After James had left the ship, Kris had ordered no interruptions for the rest of the night, which Rigsby had taken seriously. By the time Jane had been able to slip down to the first mate's bedroom, Kris had ignored his knocking on her door.

"How is she feeling?" When the first mate had finally left her room, she had been "sick". Jane didn't want to believe that Kris was lying to him, but something had seemed off about her whole behavior in the past few days. The crew seemed willing to lie for their first mate and because Lisbon had never been an excellent liar (honest eyes); he knew he could get the answer out of her.

Jane paused to watch Lisbon shrug her shoulders. "She's sick." He scanned Lisbon's face for _something _that would give him the information that he was looking for, but nothing came, aside from deep concern and anxiety. The concern, he understood. Lisbon thought highly of Kris and the two (before her kidnapping) had been close friends.

The anxiety, however, he didn't fully understand.

Was Lisbon just nervous about what she had done to Grace? If so, Jane tried to soothe her nerves by pressing his hand to her shoulder again.

"You need to calm down, Teresa." He rubbed her shoulder slightly and he watched the stress melt from her form with a smile. "Kris isn't going to get mad. She's going to understand why you did what you did, as you're still healing; what you did might even make Kris happy, as Grace might leave." He frowned.

Lisbon eyed him. "Grace is a good addition to this crew. I…"

"You just injured her, Lisbon." Jane interrupted, hastily. He glanced away from Lisbon, trying to contain his triumphant smile. He'd never admit it, but Lisbon's slow recovery state _was _helping him. "Did you see the look of fear in her eyes? You're probably equivalent to her father now." Jane could feel her stare on his face, but he refused to cast his eyes in her direction. "We'll either be forced to get rid of you or Grace, Lisbon. Kris won't hesitate to save her best friend, if she's done nothing wrong."

He glanced back to find Lisbon flinching. "You see, Lisbon, how can you be expected to swordfight with Grace if she's scared of you? Kris, even with all of her extra duties, can't train Grace; she's already dealing with her own demons." He could see the fear in Lisbon's eyes and he gently brushed his hand against her cheek. "I'm not going to let you leave, Teresa. However, I can't say that Kris will want to respect my decision; she's a stubborn first mate."

"I didn't want to hurt her." Jane heard Teresa whisper and he continued to rub at her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I…" He silenced her by pressing one of his fingers to her lips.

"It's okay, Lisbon." He repeated, before he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "I'll talk to Kris about keeping you with us, but you need to do something for me."

Even in the folds of his shirt, he could hear her meager response. "I'll do anything, Captain." Jane couldn't contain his smile at her words. "Please don't cast me out on the streets."

Jane kept his arms around her, as he spoke again. "I plan on proposing to Kris in a fortnight. Governor Bertram has ruined all of my ideas about doing this romantically." He had planned on the engagement being a magical night for her; however, James's arrival made Jane hasten for her agreement. If Grace was gone and Kris agreed to his marriage proposal, Jane knew he wouldn't risk dealing with James again. Governor Bertram's son or not, James had morals and cheating was not one of them. "But alas," he continued, "we can't always get what we want, can we?"

"No," Lisbon responded, softly, "we can't always get what we want." He smiled gently at her words.

"You are joining me today to help pick out her engagement ring. Normally, we'd wait on the ring, but I feel it's important for something to grace her finger." Lisbon said nothing and he continued into his deal. "I will talk to Kris for you, but you will need to convince Kris to say yes to my proposal." Jane doubted his words would be good enough to convince Kris to marry him, but a best friend's weight (Lisbon's word, especially) would hopefully make all of the difference in Kris's mind.

"Why wouldn't she say yes, Captain?" Lisbon asked, quietly.

Jane glanced down at Lisbon's dark head of hair, her face still buried in his shirt. He knew he couldn't tell her the truth, especially if Kris started to poke around for _why _Lisbon was trying to convince Kris to go against something she believed in. With practiced ease, he smiled and allowed the lies to roll easily off his tongue with a lucid smile as he stroked her hair. "James Bertram is the son of Gale Bertram. I'm sure you remember our last run-in with him, years ago?" He felt Lisbon nod against him. Gale had mentioned an apology for his son not meeting with them, but Jane hadn't paid much attention to someone who held no importance to him. "James Bertram has reentered Kris's life and I am concerned for her wellbeing. With Gale Bertram being as controlling as he is, I believe that he is ordering his son to take me down by stealing what I love the most in this world; Kristina Saffron.

"If I marry Kris, Lisbon, Gale Bertram and James can't hurt any of us." Jane continued, after a moment of silence. "I need you, Teresa, to convince her to say yes. Otherwise, Kris is not safe and you want her to be safe, right Lisbon? You want to continue to have a home don't you?"

Lisbon said nothing for a moment and he shifted. "If you want to be kicked out of the Scarlet Oasis, Lisbon, not agreeing to help your Captain is one of the quickest ways to go about it." He paused to let his words sink in. "Especially not helping the Captain, who saved you from the Red Rum. I could always let you go back there…" The ship had burnt down, but Lisbon didn't know that.

Jane felt Lisbon pull away from him, her green gaze (filled with fear) on his. "Please don't make me leave. _Please_." The raw fear in her voice made him pet her hair gently. "I'll do anything to stay onboard. I'll do more work, I'll behave, I'll…" He put an end to her rambling by holding her tightly, both of them surrounded by an environment of endless trees.

"What will you do, Teresa?" Jane had to bring her back to him, bring her back to reality.

"I'll convince Kris you love her. I'll convince Kris she loves you too."

"And?"

"I'll convince Kris to marry you, Jane. You both deserve to be happy."

Instead of saying _thank you_, he merely waved her forward and they continued in silence.

After all, they _did _have a ring to buy and he had other stories to weave.

* * *

Kris took a deep breath, as she stepped into the lone island bar and took a seat right at the front. She noticed that the makeshift dartboard still hung on the wall, the colorful darts still attached, which made her scoff in frustration. Rigsby had _clearly _cheated at their impromptu game from a few days ago, but the question was, how? She had no doubts that she'd eventually find out and because she was his first mate, she had the power to demand a rematch. Although Rigsby had claimed to be the master of the dart game, she knew better than to take his word for it.

She desperately wanted her money back, but not at the cost of being followed and pestered by Rigsby _and _Jane every five seconds. While Jane thought her odd behavior had something to do with a sudden illness (a total lie, meant to keep him away from her past and personal life), Rigsby and Cho were the only individuals who knew the actual reason—Governor James Bertram. Kris knew that Rigsby had only been trying to lend her his shoulder, but unfortunately, this wasn't something that could be fixed by anyone; not even her, not that she had done anything that needed an apology.

When she had been with James, she had given him her trust and her heart—and he had destroyed both.

_I'm past that though, _Kris thought with a small smile, _Jane might be an egotistical pirate captain, but at least he's better than Bertram. _

It didn't matter to her if Rigsby and Cho had found fault in Jane's decision to leave her with O'Laughlin, as without Jane leaving, Lisbon would have never been found and Red John would have never died. Jane had left out of fear for her safety, while James had just left to keep his father's money and status; a selfish decision, she couldn't even conceive. She knew she wouldn't be with Jane forever, but she felt confident in her decision that moving on was the best way to heal a broken heart, no matter whom she decided to move on with.

Neither Cho nor Rigsby could understand why Jane _was _the best decision, especially compared to the other things that she _could _have turned to. She could have started a bad habit of drinking—again. Everyone (aside from Lisbon) continued to claim that Jane was bad for her, but she knew he was better than the alternatives.

She didn't need a man in order to keep control of herself. Jane was just someone who she could to turn to, much like Rigsby was. Before Lisbon's kidnapping, the previous first mate had kept her at peace; however, Lisbon wasn't in the best of shape and Kris knew that Lisbon had no interest in dealing with her issues. The previous first mate had issues of her own that she needed to get through and at the end of the day, Lisbon's health was the most important thing.

In between everything going on with James and the crew's concern for her, Kris knew that she and Lisbon were long overdue for a friendly conversation. Lisbon was still her best friend and Kris felt that she needed to start being a better one. With the wave of her hand and an order of rum from the bartender, Kris tried to force her thoughts away when someone sat down next to her.

She turned her head briefly, only to find that the _Governor _had plopped down next to her. Kris rolled her eyes and turned her head away, annoyed. She wanted _no _part of him, especially after he had tried to arrest Jane just a few days ago. Jane had _many _flaws, she knew, but killing Red John and rest of his followers wasn't a crime. Then again, the _Governor _was only doing what his father told him to do.

_I stopped living in the past a year ago_, Kris mused, _and I'm not about to let him rile me up. _

"Hello, First Mate Saffron." The Governor greeted. Kris narrowed her eyes and gave a slight nod in response. If he even thought he had a chance at her, she hoped he knew he was mistaken. She was happy with Jane and she wasn't going to let an ex ruin it all for her. Grace had already done enough of that, just by being on the ship. Instead of responding to him, she merely sipped at her rum, until he spoke again. "You decided to become a part of a band of criminals?" Her fist tightened around her rum glass, as she tried to control the rage that was slowly rising up within her.

The Scarlet Oasis was full of good people! They all had become her family, the only one she ever truly had; and now, the asshole was making comments about _her _personal choices? He had no right commenting on that, especially as he had been out of the picture for almost three years.

"I'm sorry," she spat, "you must be confusing me with you." To her, Governor Gale Bertram and the rest of those Red John followers were criminals; they continuously supported the idea of mass murder and torture. She almost wanted to say that _Gale _should be the one arrested, not Jane, but she knew it was pointless. In her eyes, Jane had done society a large favor and if Shell Island's Governor had his head too far up his own ass to see, then so be it.

As far as Kris was concerned, downing her rum in one gulp, she had dealt with enough snot-nosed people to last _several _lifetimes.

"My father is a good man." The Governor stoically replied, before he took another sip of whatever concoction he was having. Kris almost spat her rum all over him. He was being completely serious. If Jane had joined her, he would have told her if he was lying or not; but by the look on his face—an expressionless, cold stare—she knew he most certainly wasn't. What in the hell had he turned into? A replica of his damned father?

When she had known James, years ago, he had been a kind and gentleperson, bent on protecting her and his sister, Grace. But now, he was just out for Jane's head; and her crew's too.

_James would have applauded Jane's efforts three years ago, not just arrest him without a story_.

Kris set her glass down with a loud _clink_. When they had been younger, James had once said that people changed for the good and some changed for the worst; and her stomach clenched. Governor James Bertram had definitely changed for the worst, as _her _James from three years ago wouldn't have tried to arrest her either.

With a grimace, Kris realized they'd have to leave Shell Island for a new destination. Because Gale's son was running an island, Kris had no idea what the bastard and his son was up to; which, in hindsight, meant nothing good for the Scarlet Oasis.

"Yes, because the _good _people work for Red John." She snarled, still facing him. Kris paused for a brief moment and stared at the wall behind him, before she spoke again. "What do you want, _Governor_? I've had just about enough of you." She continued to stare while he slowly slipped at his drink, which made her roll her eyes. The asshole was purposely making her wait for an answer and it was slowly starting to piss her off.

"What I want from you, Miss Saffron," he started, expressionless, "I got almost two years ago." She felt her anger rising, before her body tightened with restrained anger. Kris was beyond pissed at him; how _dare _he say that to her? He hadn't been good for much either, especially since he had decided to leave her at the worst moment possible. If all she was good for was sex, then she should have joined the Red Rum crew to begin with.

Only the friends of Red John made those types of comments, which meant Bertram wasn't any better!

His words rendered her speechless, but her hand found the side of his face. Governor or not, she wasn't about to take his words without retaliation. She watched him rub at his cheek with one hand and proceed to motion with his other hand; her hand went to her scabbard, just in case she had to fight to keep herself out of a bad situation.

Before Kris had managed to pull her sword from her scabbard, she felt a pair of rough hands grab onto her. She struggled against the hold, but it was of no use.

"You should really control your temper, little lady." The Governor's right hand informed her with a smile in his tone. "It's against the law to assault the Governor. For doing so, formal punishment by the Governor is required." She grimaced and heard the dirty-handed man mutter something under his breath with a slight chuckle.

"Take her away." The Governor motioned for her and his little minion to leave the bar, but not before, he had taken her sword from her. After a brief jaunt and foray into the Governor's Manor, Bertram's right hand man had thrown her into Governor Bertram's bedroom.

"Enjoy your punishment." Kris wanted to smack the smirk off the rat bastard's face, but settled for a glare instead. She watched him shut the door, before she went into a blind rage; _how in the hell could he be so stupid to kidnap a first mate_? She thought about screaming, however, she knew that wouldn't get her anywhere. Gale Bertram had probably listened to his youngest daughter scream plenty of times, but he had never let her go.

_At least I know where my gun is_, Kris thought. Being thrown into James Bertram's bedroom for punishment meant nothing good, as she knew Gale enjoyed _punishing _younger women in his bedroom too. If he tried anything, his house staff would find his brains splattered across _every _inch of plain colored wall and she would feel no remorse, whatsoever.

She quickly glanced around the room, looking for something to destroy, but she couldn't find anything of value.

The large room was bland and sparsely decorated. The bedding was an ugly combination of brown and red, while the walls and rugs were gray-colored; the walls held _one _piece of decoration, an ornately framed portrait of some plant. "Wow," She said with a scoff, "what a fun place! I'm sure he has some great parties here!" Instead of turning toward the doorknob or approaching the door, she threw herself down onto his bed and waited. It wasn't worth the fight or the energy, as she knew the jackass's right hand man would have just tossed her back into the room.

Eventually, she heard the sound of the bedroom door opening and she turned her to head to find the Governor.

"Well." Kris huffed. "Look who actually decided to show up; the head cretin. Where's your band of minions, cretin?" Bertram said nothing, his eyes focused on her. She threw up her arms and shook her head at him in response.

"If I had truly wanted to arrest you, Krist…"

"It's _First Mate Saffron_." She interrupted through clenched teeth, as she wore a dark scowl across her features. Kris watched him lift his hand up in apology for his disrespect, even though she wasn't entirely too sure if he knew what _disrespect _or _apology _meant. She averted her eyes from his constant stare and waited for him to say something.

"As I was saying," he began again, "if I had truly wanted to arrest you, First Mate Saffron, I would have put you in a cell; a cell, where your Pirate Captain Patrick Jane should be." She tilted her head to the side and gave him, what Jane liked to call, _'why are you being such an idiot' _face. Did Bertram truly think what Jane did to Red John and the rest was a crime? His odd behavior continued to baffle her and it made her wonder why she had even dated the jackass in the first place.

"Oh, really?" She replied, sarcastically. "And where does your dearest father belong, Governor Bertram? In a fucking palace?" His face remained expressionless, which only served to frustrate her. She just wanted to get back onto her ship and get some rest, as she was over the day.

Kris watched Bertram turn on his heels and step toward his picture frame; he gently pulled the picture frame from the wall, which revealed a hidden compartment behind it. Bertram lifted the compartment open and took out a wooden chest. She rolled her eyes at the item and turned her head away. What a _box _had to do with anything, she had absolutely no clue!

She broke the agonizing silence. "Can I go now or is it time for some show-and-tell?" Bertram kept quiet and set the box down next to her on the bed. She could only stare at the object in blatant confusion, as she had no interest to see what was inside.

"Open it." Bertram requested. She made no movements. "There are things you need to know, First Mate Saffron. What is in there will explain everything." She narrowed her eyes on him; she hated to be tricked by anyone and if this were a trick, she'd have his head.

Against her better judgment, she opened the small chest and found a stack of letters. Once again, she looked at him in confusion and waited for an explanation.

Bertram managed a sigh. "On that day," meaning the day he had left her, "there were two letters; one was what my father wanted me to write and the other involved my true feelings." Kris merely blinked. The letter she had received from James, almost three years ago, had said he, "wanted nothing to do with her" and that, "he had never loved her." At the age of eighteen and at that time, she had believed it. However, she knew that even with his so-called "real" letter, nothing would actually change.

It wasn't what Bertram had written that had made her despise him; it had been the fact that he had _promised _to protect and never leave her, yet he had broken both promises in one go. To Kris, promises weren't something to be broken. Her father had broken his word to her many times during her childhood and for that, she had never trusted anyone, until James, who turned right back around and did the same to thing to her.

"The top letter is in my own words. The rest…" he paused for a moment, "are from you." She blinked again.

_He saved all of my letters_. She thought with a frown.

Kris lifted the top letter from the pile and held it, her eyes scanning the familiar script. She had absolutely no desire to open it, but his continued gaze made her feel the increased pressure in her head. Slowly, she opened the letter and read it contents:

_My Dearest Kris, _

_If you and I never cross paths again, you will never see this letter. I've slowly accepted this, as I've accepted many things. Nevertheless, if this letter ever does cross your path, there are things that you need to know. _

_If it weren't for you, my love, I would have become like my father. Like your father. You saved me from a grim fate, Kris. You were someone, who made me see that there is some good inside of me; that I'm not just Gale Bertram's son. _

_I know you hate me now, but you are still my best friend. If I ever saw you again, I would tell you anything that you wanted to know; I would still trust my life in your hands. You were there and that's all I've ever truly wanted. You were the best person in my life and if you never speak to me again, I understand your reasons. It doesn't matter my reasons for leaving (good or bad), as I, still left you and I still broke promises made to you. _

_When I made my promise to protect you, Kris, I meant it. I know my leaving may not seem like it, but it is. I needed to save you from getting into the hands of Red John and my leaving was the only way to do this. I am so sorry that it is has to be this way, Kris, truly. If you don't believe me, I understand; but if I were to see you again, I would do everything in my power to prove to you that I would never leave your side again. _

_I promise. _

_I love you, Kristina Jessica Saffron. _

_Love,_

_James D. Bertram_

Kris threw the letter back into the box and stared up at the ceiling, trying to keep her emotions in check. She couldn't show him that his written words had gotten to her, but they had. They both knew that she couldn't feel anything for him again; she couldn't. Kris was with Jane and she couldn't be with someone that she couldn't trust. Three years ago, the letter she had once held would have made all the difference, but now, it was too little too late.

If that was what he had wanted to say to her for _three years_, he could have sent the letter to General Bosco instead, but he didn't. He had done this all wrong and now, she couldn't trust him. He had penned that letter almost three years ago, yet he had clearly changed from the man she had once loved.

Nothing, after all, stayed the same forever.

She stood from her place on the bed. "Well," she started, trying to stay strong, "I need to get back to my friends. However, you need to know something before I go." She waited for his response and he managed to nod his head. She sighed and continued. "Your sister, Grace, is aboard my ship. One of my officers found her on your father's island; she had been in the streets. If you would like, you may come and visit her."

She crossed her arms against her chest and internally felt relief. She figured, if she tried to pawn off Grace onto her brother, she could get rid of _both _reminders in one shot. While she, James and Grace weren't getting along, Kris knew better than to try to spit up family, even if the family itself was filled with a bunch of idiots.

_If Grace weren't injured, I'd have us meet elsewhere. _

Kris knew why Grace's upper leg had been bandaged; she just didn't want Grace walking on an injury, as Kris knew how it felt to be badly injured and be expected to do the nearly impossible. Lisbon already felt bad enough about the whole situation that she hoped, before Bertram stepped onto the Scarlet Oasis, Lisbon and Grace could move past the accidental stabbing.

No emotional reaction appeared across his features at her words. "Thank you, First Mate Saffron." She nodded in response, as Bertram handed back her sword. Without saying another word, she sheathed her sword and shut the door to his bedroom behind her; the sound singled the end of her thoughts about him and about her horrible past. Once they all left the island and Grace was gone, she could stop dealing with her demons and _truly _be happy with Jane.

Dusk was setting, when Kris finally returned to her ship, only to find Rigsby atop the deck. She greeted him with a strained smile, before she spoke to him.

"Rigsby," she began. "I will inform the Captain later, but you should know that the Governor is going to be visiting within the next few days." She watched Rigsby blink and tilt his head to the side. "None of you are to apprehend him, as he and I discussed this when we talked last." Kris hoped Rigsby wouldn't catch her lie.

"What does he want, Kris?" Rigsby inquired, still with confusion. She huffed in annoyance at his question, as the answer should have been obvious. Kris wasn't sure if it was the oncoming headache or what, but Rigsby's question rubbed her the wrong way.

She just decided to blame it on her headache.

"For his sister." Kris responded blatantly. Rigsby eyed her, but nodded in response. "When you get a moment, could you please tell Lisbon that I need to speak with her?" Rigsby smiled.

"I'll send her to your bedroom; I'll also try and keep Jane away."

"Thank you."

She barely managed to make it into her bedroom, before she burst into a frenzy of tears.

* * *

With her head in her arms, Kris heard someone knock on her bedroom door. She slowly stood up and approached the door with hesitation; she had no desire to deal with a crew issue or Jane. She turned the doorknob after a moment of silence to find Lisbon standing there, waiting to heed an order. Kris quickly motioned for Lisbon to come into her room, before she shut and locked the door behind them both.

"Was there something you needed, Kristina?" Lisbon inquired, weakly. Kris eyed the ex-first mate; she looked as if she and Jane had gone on a forty-mile hike together. The windswept hair, the brushed pink cheeks, and her eyes were red, as if she had been crying. Kris patted the seat next to her, which Lisbon took without argument.

Kris wanted nothing more than to comfort her best friend, but now, she knew that they both seemed to need each other. She wasn't about to sit and vent to Lisbon about the day's events; but she knew Lisbon wouldn't do that either, as they were both too stubborn to admit _any _weaknesses. Their relationship had always been that way, ever since Kris had come aboard the ship.

Both knew when the other was having an issue, but neither asked until the _other _was ready to bring the subject up first. They both hated to push one another into an uncomfortable corner. However, they had both agreed that if something was needed—a shoulder, a hug or an ear—they would both be there for one another, no questions asked.

After what had happened at James's home earlier, Kris had become even more grateful for Lisbon, which was one of the reasons why she had requested Rigsby to send the young woman down to her bedroom in the first place. As much as Jane might have understood her sadness, Lisbon knew what the idea or the notion of James did to her, as Lisbon had been the first person she had ever told the story to.

Ever since their first talk about the, now, new governor, the subject had become a taboo for them both. Lisbon hated bringing it up to her and Kris had never found any relevance in the idea of discussing it; the subject never had any tie-ins to what the crew was doing and Kris, back then, had just wanted to forget the whole relationship.

Kris smiled at her friend, faintly, and responded. "No. I just wan…needed to talk to you." She paused for a moment to play with the ends of her hair, trying to keep her emotions in check. However, Lisbon had always been good at knowing when she was on the verge of a meltdown; and Kris doubted that she was going to be able to hold onto her strength for too much longer.

"Are you okay, Kristina?" She tossed Lisbon a quick, fake smile and proceeded to fiddle with her fingers. She wasn't entirely too sure what she wanted to say to Lisbon, but she knew she had to say something, especially before Lisbon walked out of the door.

For lack of a better start though, Kris started with the most basic of assumptions. "I'm guessing," Kris started, tightness in the back of her throat, "that you know the Governor, James Bertram, has come back into the picture." She waited for Lisbon to respond, but only found her friend nodding at her. With a deep intake of breath, Kris continued. "I guess….what I'm trying to you, Lisbon, is…thank you." She eyed her friend, who had her head tilted in confusion. Kris could only continue and hope that her best friend would understand, eventually. "You know what happened before I got here, Lisbon. You know how much of a mess I was, and how close I was to death."

"I do."

Kris hung her head and stared at the floor, looking for the right words, but she just couldn't seem to find any. She and Lisbon both sat in silence for a few moments, until Kris regained her ability to talk again. "I'm saying this, because you stayed." Kris explained, even though she could feel the dryness in her throat; it always happened when she about to burst out into tears. "You have no idea how grateful I am for that, Lisbon. Really." Kris watched her best friend's face; her expressions had gone from confusion to shock to a look of calm. Kris knew she couldn't tell Lisbon the entire story, in fear that the ex-first mate would be discovered caught up in her lie to Jane, but Kris knew this had to be said.

Just the reason for it, Kris would keep to herself.

After a few moments, she saw Lisbon smile and Kris threw her arms around Lisbon's neck in a hug. She knew Lisbon hated them, but she couldn't help it, Lisbon had to know. Kris rested her head on Lisbon's shoulder and silently cried, before she felt Lisbon's hand rubbing calming circles into her back.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything, unfortunately.

Thanks to Loes-chan and Frogster for the reviews!

* * *

"And you think this'll work?" Jane asked Kris, as he eyed her leaning against his desk. He tried to focus his attention elsewhere, but the crease between her eyebrows made him frown in concern. Kris said nothing and he moved his hand to sit atop hers, which caused her to weakly smile. "Your laidback posture tells me yes, but your face is telling me no. Kris, talk to me."

He heard her sigh. "This has been my home for _two years_, Jane. It's the only place, where I don't have memories of him." She paused. "If he steps onto this ship and doesn't leave…" She bit her lip.

"Kris," Jane interrupted, still stroking her hand. "He's not going to stay. He has to rule this island; he'll have Grace back and we'll be able to strike up a deal. You did a good job, truly." He flashed a confident smile in her direction.

"I guess you're right." Kris offered in return and Jane inhaled sharply. His plan to get Grace off the ship had failed, as Rigsby had yet _again _meddled in one of his plans. However, he _knew _if he played his cards right, he could be rid of the three largest problems to his happiness—Grace Van Pelt, Wayne Rigsby and James Bertram.

_I don't hate Grace or Rigsby_, Jane thought, _I only hate James Bertram_.

"You'll be okay with him on here, won't you?"

Jane glanced at her. "He's taking our bad omens away, Kris. I think I'll be fine." His eyes met hers. "_We'll _be fine, trust me on this one." He watched her nod, before he squeezed her hand. "When is the belligerent Governor supposed to grace us with his lovely appearance?" Kris shrugged her shoulders. "He's not a timely fellow, is he?" Most governors (especially Governor Bertram) _gave _an expected timeframe, which left an odd taste in his mouth. He had expected the son of Gale Bertram to be more like Gale Bertram—punctual, detail-oriented, harsh, ruthless, forceful, and abusive—but so far, the little of James that he _had _seen, hadn't painted the Governor's son as any of those things.

Instead, he _thought _he was in love with Kris.

_If he truly loved her_, Jane mused with a light scoff, _he'd give up his job for her, much like I would_.

"Does _anyone _know how to be timely anymore?" Kris's question interrupted his thoughts and he chuckled in response. "Look at Mashburn. We tell him that we're sailing at dusk and he waits until dawn to show back up with two women on his arms." Jane watched a grimace settle on Kris's lips.

"Ah, but you forget." Jane responded. "Walter is actually a _good _person, while Governor Bertram is an…"

"He's an asshole." Kris interrupted. "He's an egotistical, jackass, asshole, who thinks his _mere _presence cures ailments." Jane watched her cross her arms against her chest. "I didn't realize bullshit tasted like sunshine and rum."

Jane burst out laughing. "Bullshit comes in many different flavors, my dear. It's the political bullshit you'll want to steer away from, as it usually involves Governor Wainwright's seagulls." He heard Kris snort. "Trust me though. We do not tolerate Bertram-flavored bullshit on this ship. I have methods to keep young Governor's in line, Miss Saffron." He flashed his teeth to her in response, which made her roll her eyes.

"I hope these methods are legal, Jane."

"They're mostly legal." Jane honestly said and Kris narrowed her eyes. "If you're worried that I'll be tossed into the brig or something like that, you don't need to worry. I'm Captain Patrick Jane for a reason, First Mate Saffron."

"Eventually, you won't be able to call yourself a Captain." Kris replied. "Whatever will you say then?"

"I won't need to say a word." Jane returned with a grin. "As all I need to do is kiss you." Standing from his desk, he leaned against the surface and pressed his lips against Kris's.

Kris said nothing, as he ran his tongue over her wet lips. He felt her lips part gently, before his tongue swept inside of her; reclaiming every inch of what was (eventually) forever to be his. She tasted of blueberries and other fruits, as he continued to explore her mouth—his tongue danced with hers, moist and stroking her mouth to a state of incomprehensible ecstasy. He was going to make her forget all about James Bertram and their past together. His tender kiss was going to steal all of her worries, show her he actually cared, and make her love him all in one go.

_James Bertram has nothing on me. _

He brushed his fingers across her cheek, before he deepened the kiss. Jane felt her fingers in his hair and he smiled at the contact, both of their tongues still moist and twined together. Perfection was something he had missed out on for nine years, but this—his lips pressed against Kris's—was as close to perfection as he ever wanted to be.

The sound of someone clearing his or her throat caused him to pull away from Kris and glance beyond her shoulder, only to find James Bertram. James stood with his arms crossed against his chest and Jane shot him a joyous smile, before taking a deep inhale.

"Good morning, Captain Jane." James greeted, his eyes locked on Kris's back. Kris wore a grimace and Jane took her hand. He tried to convey she'd be fine, but her attention was elsewhere.

"You might be unaware of common courtesy, Governor, but it is impolite to barge into one's quarters without knocking first." Jane informed him, smiling. "You may own this island, but you don't own my ship. I am, after all, the Captain." He eyed Kris rolling her eyes, much to his own amusement.

"I was told I could you find you down here, Captain." James explained. "If I had known you were with…" James paused. "…company, I would have come back later." Jane honestly doubted that. The crew had known where both the Captain and the First Mate were hanging about, as neither of them had felt long appearances on the deck (aside from checking on the officers and Lisbon) were appropriate.

Jane gritted his teeth, but continued to smile. "Kris," he addressed his girlfriend, who glanced up at him, "how about you get Officer Rigsby? I'm sure he'll want to take Governor Bertram to see his sister?" Kris nodded and left the room, her eyes not lingering on James once. After Kris shut the door behind her and he felt they were alone, his attention turned back to James as he sat back down. "I know what you're doing, Bertram; and I'm telling you now, it won't work." James's face remained stoic and Jane shook his head. "Your apathy doesn't fool me. I work with Kimball Cho, who also pulls the same trick." Of course, Jane actually liked Cho. Cho wasn't trying to take Kris away. Cho was merely doing his orders and leaving him and Kris alone, which he appreciated highly.

"First Mate Saffron wants nothing to do with me, Captain." James explained. Jane rolled his eyes. "I am merely here for my sister, Grace." He stared at James in disbelief. "You don't have to believe me, Captain, but I have an island to govern. My father…"

"Again with the talk of your father." Kris interrupted from the doorway and both men glanced at her. "Does Daddy help satisfy your needs too?" James said nothing, while Jane contained his laughter. "I've got Officer Rigsby, Jane. He's waiting outside for the Governor."

"Thank you, Kris." Jane said, smiling brightly. Kris moved back toward him, before he wrapped his arms around her and yanked her down onto his lap. James's expression didn't change, Jane noted, but Jane had a feeling the Governor (and ex-boyfriend) was planning his death. "You may leave, Governor. Enjoy your visit with Grace." With that, Jane turned his attentions back toward his beautiful girlfriend. "Oh, and Governor?" Jane didn't need to glance up to know the Governor was staring at them both. "Please tell Officer Rigsby that we shouldn't be disturbed for the rest of the day. First Mate Saffron and Captain Jane have an urgent matter to attend to."

Jane heard the door to his quarters open and shut again moments later, before his lips found Kris's.

* * *

"You must be Officer Rigsby." The sound of an unfamiliar male voice had Rigsby pushing away from the outer wall, as he turned to find himself glancing into a pair of green eyes. He didn't say anything, until the Governor had extended his right arm. "I'm Governor James Bertram." Rigsby stared at James, unblinkingly. This was the man, who had left both Kris _and _Grace behind? "I'm sure First Mate Saffron explained to you that I'm here for my sister."

After a few moments of silence, Rigsby nodded. "She's also made it perfectly clear that you enjoy leaving others behind." James said nothing. "You might be Grace's brother, and I don't care _why _you left her; but if you hurt her again, you'll be getting a great number of swords to the chest." Rigsby flashed his scabbard toward James, who merely nodded in response. "If you leave Kris, you'll be dealing with _three _swords. We're very protective over our first mate, Governor." He crossed his arms against his chest and corrected his posture to loom over James, who kept his eyes down.

Shortly after Kris had relayed the story of Jane's _almost _arrest by James Bertram, Rigsby had gone to Cho and Mashburn about protecting the female crewmembers. James Bertram hadn't only asked to arrest Jane, but he had also tried to arrest Kris _and _Lisbon, which had angered the three male officers. Lisbon was still trying to recover from her traumatic experience aboard the Red Rum and Kris had enough on her plate, due to Jane's antics to drive the crew officers into committing mutiny.

In mutual agreement, they had all three decided to follow and protect one female crewmember. Rigsby had immediately taken Grace, as he and she spent almost all of their spare time together. Mashburn had asked to watch over Lisbon, because they had been in a relationship at one point and Cho had decided upon Kris, as "neither Mashburn nor he could stay calm and objective, especially when it came to deciding between Kris's happiness and her safety."

"Thank you for taking care of my sister, Officer Rigsby." James returned and Rigsby stared at James with furrowed brows. Kris had briefly mentioned that James didn't care about his sister, and yet, here James stood. If he hadn't cared about his sister, why had the man decided upon boarding the Scarlet Oasis with the intentions of taking his sister away? Something wasn't adding up in Kris's story and Rigsby found himself wanting to breach the subject with James.

_He's trustworthy_, Rigsby's senses screamed. But something kept him from asking _why_. James reminded him a lot of Kris and if Rigsby had learned anything about his first mate and best friend, he had learned that it was best to let the discussion progress gradually.

"It's no problem, Governor." Rigsby responded, shaking James's hand. "Grace is both beautiful and intelligent. I'm glad she's a part of our crew, to be honest." With her kindhearted personality, her musical laugh, her soft ivory skin and the way her flowing red hair reminded him of a burning candle flame, he had never felt so drawn in by a woman before. He truly loved Kris and Lisbon, but even they paled in comparison to what he thought and felt about Grace. "Aside from the small problem we had days ago, Grace is adapting well to being a pirate."

"Small problem?" James questioned, while his green eyes widened. Rigsby nodded slowly. James was going to find his sister confined to a bed and from James's reaction, Rigsby doubted that Kris had informed him of what had occurred between Grace and Lisbon. "What happened? Is Grace okay?"

"She's fine." Rigsby answered. "She's currently propped up in my bed, resting her bandaged leg." James raised his eyebrows in return and Rigsby glanced away. "I've been sleeping in the floor, if that's what you're concerned about." James said nothing. "I was told she shouldn't risk any chance of infection, but I worry and…"

"It's okay, Officer Rigsby." James interrupted, softly. "I'm just curious on how Grace hurt herself. Is there someone on this crew, who wishes to do her harm?" Rigsby almost threw out Jane's name, but stopped himself. He wasn't about to ask James—the son of Gale Bertram—to help them keep Kris and Jane apart.

"Nobody does, Governor." Rigsby stated. "It was a misunderstanding." James didn't look persuaded by his answer, which forced Rigsby to continue. "The Captain has one of our crewmembers training Grace how to swordfight. From what I understand, the crewmember," he wasn't about to name Lisbon, as Lisbon felt bad enough for having sliced through Grace's leg, "didn't appreciate being touched and reacted in defense." After Lewis had figuratively chewed Grace's head off, he had stumbled upon the bloodstained and crying crewmember.

Shaking and scared, he had had managed to get an answer out of Grace, _"Lisbon and I were sword fighting and I—I touched her. She struck out at me and I—I…" _He had tried to soothe her by rubbing her back gently, but his words and actions hadn't seemed to penetrate Grace's shell-shocked behavior.

_"You'll be fine, Grace." _Rigsby had replied. _"Lisbon doesn't hate you. I'm sure she'll apologize later." _

_ "I need to leave, Wayne." _Grace's tone had sent a shot of panic through him. Aside from the streets, Grace had nowhere to go. Governor Bertram wouldn't take her back in and once she left the crew (willingly), they wouldn't be able to protect her. It was the age-old addendum that continued to screw them all over, _once a crewmember willingly leaves the Scarlet Oasis, that crewmember is no longer under the protection of the Captain and First Mate._ The age-old addendum had also made him decide he'd do _anything _to keep her around, which had led them both to their first wet and awkward kiss.

The kiss, which had started out awkward, had quickly turned into something more; his unusual method for keeping her on the ship was why she was currently sleeping off her injury in his quarters. Of course, James didn't need to know the _exact _specifics of their "relationship". None of the crew (aside from Cho) knew about their new sleeping arrangements and until it had to be ousted, none of them were about to say anything.

"I hope the crewmember wasn't punished, Officer." James responded.

Rigsby shook his head. "She feels horrible. We've been trying to tell both crewmembers that accidents happen."

"Grace thinks your crewmember purposely did this?"

"I think she does." Rigsby said with a frown. "Or she hates our crewmembers' handler." James furrowed his brows again. "One of our own was kidnapped by Red John months ago. We're trying to help our fellow crewmember stand again." James nodded and Rigsby almost cursed. He shouldn't trust _any _information to Gale Bertram's son. "I shouldn't have told you that, Governor. Jane could have my head for…"

"Officer Rigsby, I'm not about to tell anyone what you tell me." James reassured. "I understand that you have your reasons for keeping information confidential. However, I am not my father's son. I'm a villain, yes, but not in the way you'd expect." Rigsby eyed James; he seemed to be telling the truth. "I have done many ill-conceived things in my past; I left the love of my life, I left my sister, I became something I hated and I took on my father's principles." James met Rigsby's eyes. "I don't expect you to believe me, Officer. Only madmen or fools would believe someone without questioning their motives…"

To a certain point, Rigsby could agree with James. He hadn't believed Jane's innocent motive toward having Kris as his girlfriend, and he certainly hadn't believed Jane's reasoning for placing Lisbon in the smallest bedroom on the ship either. However, while James was slowly gaining points for being trustworthy, Rigsby knew James wasn't telling him everything. Neither he nor Cho had been able to hear the conversation between Governor and First Mate after the confrontation within the bar, but Kris's behavior afterwards had left him even more concerned.

And James's arrival on the ship _just _to get his sister puzzled him even more. He didn't want Grace to leave, but he had to wonder just why Kris hadn't just suggested doing the visit somewhere else. Kris knew Grace wasn't horribly injured (and she also knew Grace could walk), which clued Rigsby into something being up.

Was Kris still in love with James? Rigsby honestly hoped so, as it would get the first mate away from Patrick Jane and his stupidity.

"…I have nothing but the best of intentions toward Grace." James finished and Rigsby almost chuckled. Although James wasn't going to say it, Rigsby knew Kris was in on that sentence too. "Why do you find that amusing, Officer?"

"We all know the real reason that you're here." Rigsby responded. James said nothing. "If I can figure it out, so can the Captain. I don't care if you're in love with her, Governor; but I do know that Patrick Jane will make your life hell for just stepping foot onto this vessel." Rigsby hoped James couldn't see past his lie, as he truly did care if James was in love with Kris or not. He knew it wasn't any of his business, but when had that stopped him from getting involved before?

"All I want for First Mate Saffron, Officer, is for her to be happy. If Captain Jane makes her happy, then I'm glad." James answered. "This reminds me, I was asked to pass along the message that both First Mate and Captain will be engaged for the rest of the afternoon." Rigsby groaned with a grimace. "I take it that this has happened before?"

"You have no idea." Rigsby said, rolling his eyes. "If it wasn't for the good sea goddess herself, I'd fear we'd have a bunch of unplanned pregnancies." James eyed him. "Five more minutes and you would have been witness to their undressing skills. Jane's, anyway."

"Why is that so important?" James looked slightly confused. "Intimacy shows love…" Rigsby blanched. "Do you have something against love, Officer?"

"I have nothing against love, Governor." Rigsby clarified. "But there has to be more to it than just intimacy. The _Captain _only seems to know how to do that with her. They fight and he shows her _love_." James continued to eye Rigsby, confusion written lightly across his features. "It's not love, Governor. It's an abusive relationship."

"Does he hit her?"

"No…"

"Then, it's not abusive." James replied. "Abusive and manipulative relationships are two completely different things."

"It's only a matter of time before he does hit her."

"And why is that?"

Rigsby took a deep breath. He hated breaking any of the rules and guidelines upon the Scarlet Oasis, but James needed to know. Rigsby only wanted his best friend to stay safe and if James could protect her, Rigsby would say or do anything to make it happen. "He's hit Teresa Lisbon before. I've always suspected other forms of abuse toward our previous first mate, but I could never prove it." As much as he hated Jane, he couldn't say that the man had purposely led Lisbon into being kidnapped by the Red Rum. "Lisbon was kidnapped by Craig O'Laughlin…" James frowned. "What?"

"Grace's ex-fiancé." James answered, while Rigsby crossed his arms against his chest. Grace and O'Laughlin had been _engaged_? The idiot had actually once held a girlfriend. "He holds a grudge against First Mate Saffron and me, because we ruined his marriage to Grace."

"What did you two do?"

James sighed. "We were young, stupid and in love. My father did not appreciate my focus being on Kristina, especially when I was engaged to Stephanie Haverstraw." Rigsby raised his eyebrows. Everyone in the middle and upper classes knew who Stephanie Haverstraw was; the Haverstraw family owned one of the largest islands in the world. "He and Kristina's father found out about us, and forced me to leave her. I forfeited the family wealth and title of "Bertram", until I had been able to prove to my father that Kristina and I would never cross paths again."

"You've just crossed paths with her, Governor." Rigsby pointed out.

James nodded. "Once my father gets wind of this, I will no longer be a Bertram. I will be James No-Name." Rigsby had no doubts that Gale Bertram would disown his son, but the question remained; how would Governor Bertram senior even know about James's run-in with Kris? "My right hand man, Addison, reports my behavior to my father. I can't be anything other than what my father has instructed me to be, or I lose everything…" Rigsby eyed the Governor in anger. Money was more important than family? Money was more important than love?

"They needed you and you left them for money?" Rigsby seethed. "Governor, I'm not surprised…" James halted Rigsby with his hand.

"Officer, I left Kristina and Grace to protect them. My father and hers wanted to ship both girls off to Red John and I don't think I need to tell you what happens on the Red Rum, now do I?" Rigsby shuddered at the mere thought of either Kris or Grace being in the same position Lisbon had been in. Too afraid to speak, for the fear that someone on the Red Rum would come and kill them. "Grace would have been killed first. The Governor wouldn't have wanted any proof that he was behind this, in case Grace managed to escape them."

Rigsby swallowed painfully. The very thought of Grace dying saddened him. Seeing Lisbon broken and bruised had been enough for him, but the very thought that Gale Bertram would have offered up his own daughter made Rigsby sick.

"As for Kristina…" James paused for a moment, before he continued. "Red John wouldn't have used her for sex. He would have found merit in keeping Kristina around and bending her to his will; I'm sure you've been told about the Dark Mistress?" Rigsby slowly shook his head. Nobody had said anything to him about a Dark Mistress, especially if this person had replaced Red John. "Before the Red Rum was sunk, rumors surfaced about Red John having trained a new female cohort. They did stop on Shell Island once, but I was never permitted to see her; Officer Carter, it was said, had taken quite a liking to her and wouldn't let her out of his sight." Rigsby frowned.

_Was this not worth mentioning? _Rigsby wondered. They had all warned Jane about his keeping secrets and information from the crew, especially after his last mistake with Lisbon. If Jane had just told Lisbon about O'Laughlin being first mate and them (possibly) being out for her blood, she probably would have stayed on the Scarlet Oasis.

"However, I was informed that a female crewmember _was _found dead." Rigsby nodded in response. Rebecca, someone who he hadn't very much liked, had been found beheaded in the brig by Jane and Kris. "If the Red Rum was going down and Red John knew it, his first decision would have been to kill his Dark Mistress."

"You think she's dead then?"

"I think…"

The sudden sound of footsteps made Rigsby turn to find Cho, who had his arms crossed against his chest.

"Is this Kris's savior?" Cho asked and Rigsby snorted.

"I'm the last person you should be calling a savior." James retorted. Rigsby glanced between James and Cho, waiting to see who would speak next.

"At least you apologize to women in a natural fashion."

Rigsby nodded his head in agreement to Cho's comment. Jane didn't know how to say _I'm sorry_, all he knew how to do was hypnotize and press his luck with the current first mate. "He also knows how to tell us information that Jane conveniently forgets."

Cho blinked at Rigsby. "What did he forget this time? His common sense."

"This implies he actually had some." Rigsby challenged, shaking his head. "But no, he completely forgot to mention the possibility of another Red John." Rigsby watched Cho shake his head.

"Does Kris know?" Rigsby shrugged his shoulders. "Someone should tell her." Rigsby shook his head.

"I've got to take the Governor to see Grace."

"Hopefully," Cho stoically replied. "He'll actually find her fully clothed." Rigsby tried to ignore the blush creeping up his cheeks with a glare toward Cho. James, if he suspected anything, said nothing. "Lisbon was asking for you earlier, Rigsby."

"Do you know what she wants?" Cho shook his head. "I'll visit with her after I take the Governor to see Grace." Cho turned on his heels and Rigsby motioned for James to follow him. James did so, in silence. Eventually, they both arrived at Rigsby's quarters and Rigsby opened the door. "She's in here."

James stepped into the room, followed by Rigsby, who smiled at the propped up Grace.

"Good morning, Grace." Rigsby greeted. Grace's eyes went from her brother to Rigsby back to her brother again, before she narrowed her eyes.

"What is he doing here, Wayne?" Grace asked and Rigsby said nothing, instead motioning for James to step forward. "I have nothing to say to you, Governor."

"Grace…" James started.

Grace threw up her hand to interrupt him. "No, Governor. You made it perfectly clear that you wanted nothing to do with me." Rigsby saw the hurt on her face and he wondered if he shouldn't kick James out, at least for the time being. "You left me with father, James. You promised you wouldn't leave me, yet you did! You didn't write, I thought you had died!" Rigsby glanced at James's face to find a small expression of hurt. "You lied to me, James! I don't even want to see you right now."

"Grace, please." James continued.

"Did you honestly think you could just come in here, see me again and apologize, James?" Grace went on. "You hurt me and you're only here for Kristina Saffron. She always was more important than me, right?" Rigsby stared on, as Grace refused to let James say another word. He knew James deserved all of this and more, but Rigsby couldn't even imagine being in his spot right now. "Save your words, Governor. I'm not the same little sister you left."

"I know you aren't, Grace." James replied, as he crossed his arms against his chest. "You've become someone, who deserves to hear the truth." Grace's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "I didn't want to leave you or First Mate Saffron. I only wanted to protect you both from unforeseeable events."

"Father wouldn't let me out of the house, James." Grace said. "How is that protecting me from unforeseeable events? Instead of being protected _by you_, I was protected by my father's pet guard! Do you know what his pet guard enjoyed doing? Do you?" If it were possible, James probably would have disappeared into the floorboards already. Grace's words made Rigsby wonder exactly what had gone on at the Bertram home. He turned to stare at Grace, who had all of her attention on James. "If father wasn't beating me, James, his pet guard was. Do you need to see the scars to know what all you put me through?"

"Grace, I left to keep you safe. I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't." Grace muttered darkly and Rigsby stepped forward. "I don't know why you came to see me, Governor. I have no desire to leave this ship, as I've found myself surrounded by people who actually care about me."

"Grace." Rigsby halted the young crewmember's tirade against her brother. Grace's brown eyes found his and he smiled, kindly. "Listen to what James has to say. He's trying his best to apologize to you."

Grace crossed her arms against her chest. "I've heard enough."

Rigsby opened his mouth, when James spoke again. "Officer Rigsby, while I appreciate your concern, Grace has every right. I left her and I will take whatever she throws my way, as I deserve it."

"This is a personal and family matter, Wayne, but thank you." Grace agreed with James. Rigsby glanced between the both of them, concern written across his features. Sometimes, he felt useless on the Scarlet Oasis; he couldn't help Lisbon, he couldn't give an order on the ship, he couldn't tell Kris or Jane what to do, but he knew he could help these two.

If anyone deserved happiness and a family, it was Grace.

"Grace," Rigsby addressed her and her brown eyes found his. "If you need anything, I'll be in Lisbon's room." Grace nodded, before Rigsby stepped from the room and shut the door behind him.

_They'll get through this_, Rigsby told himself, as he moved toward the brig stairs with a smile. _Grace might be angry now, but her family comment is a good start_. When they settled down to sleep later on, Grace would probably ask him _why _he had stepped in between the two siblings; and he would tell her the truth.

He didn't want James leaving the ship. While he felt that he, Cho and Mashburn could handle the situation unfolding upon the Scarlet Oasis—the situation, especially between Jane and Lisbon—he doubted they could also take on a situation involving Jane's ill behavior toward both James and Grace.

Rigsby grimaced. If he could convince Grace to ask her brother to stay, Rigsby hoped the extra presence on the ship would nip down Jane's manipulative and controlling behavior. He obviously couldn't tell James that Jane was a "horrible person", as the Governor and Kris probably came from the same lines of logic; they both needed proof, before they could accept the situation.

On the outside, the Scarlet Oasis crew _was _happy. Captain Red John was gone and their entire crew was together and safe; he had Grace, Kris had Jane and they weren't on a quest for revenge anymore. Putting an end to Jane's quest for revenge had been something the entire crew of the Scarlet Oasis had dreamt about for years, as it finally meant that they all could stop worrying about being in constant danger.

However, a life post-Captain Red John was starting to look nearly impossible. They had a crewmember, who was still suffering from whatever the Red Rum had done to her. They had a Captain, who apparently thought Red John was still alive and well. And very few of them were happy; he had Grace, but he couldn't stop worrying about Lisbon or Kris. Kris had Jane, but how genuine was their relationship? And Jane's quest of revenge hadn't stopped with Red John, as it seemed to continue with Lisbon being the new target.

_How can I help if I can't even convince anyone that something is wrong? _


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **No.

Thank you to Frogster for the lovely review! I really do appreciate it! :D

* * *

Kris readjusted her clothing, as she stepped from the Captain Quarters with a large smile on her face and glanced around the almost empty main deck. Bertram's presence on the ship had faded from her thoughts with help from Jane, which only continued to make her smile. If she had gone to anyone else about being distracted from having James Bertram aboard the ship, most of the crew would have forced her to talk.

_Why does his presence bother you? _

_What did he say to you in the bar? _

_How are you feeling, Kris? _

She had never been a touchy-feely kind of person. When she and Bertram had been in a relationship, Bertram had been the one initiating all of the contact. If he had wanted to kiss her, he had to lean over and kiss her. If he had wanted to hug her, he had to wrap his arms around her. If he had wanted to prove his love to her, all he had to do was stay. But Jane's idea of a distraction proved to be something she could fully appreciate, as his hands had kept her from even thinking about what type of ruckus her crew would be in after both Bertram and Grace left.

Rigsby would obviously be sad about Grace's departure, but she doubted he'd blame her for wanting Grace to leave. Mashburn would just be annoyed that he had one less woman to hit on, and Cho would spend an extra amount of time trying to avoid Rigsby's touchy-feely conversation about his "hidden" feelings for Grace.

"First Mate Saffron," Kris didn't have the chance to climb the stairs to the helm, before she was stopped by Bertram's voice. She clenched her fists and turned slowly to face him. He remained expressionless and Kris glanced beyond him, looking at the dark clouds in the distance. Jane and she had both agreed that by the time that they had finished with their activities, both Bertram and Grace would have been gone; but apparently, the Bertram family had other ideas. "I was told to speak with you, concerning my sister."

Kris almost sighed. "I'm sorry I neglected to mention her injury, Governor." She waited for him to say something, but he remained quiet. "Am I going to be arrested for withholding information?" Kris almost wanted him to try it; she'd have him on his ass _again_, because she was the best swordfighter between the both of them. Bertram stared at her and she narrowed her eyes. "What are you looking at, Bertram?"

"It was _Governor Bertram_." Bertram corrected.

"I know exactly who you are." Kris reassured him, as she brought her arms against her chest. "However, I don't appreciate the reminder almost every five seconds. You might be a governor on Shell Island, but you have no authority here."

"Ex-Governor."

Kris furrowed her brows. "Leaving your island now too?" Bertram kept quiet, while she snorted darkly. "God, Bertram. You just seem to be leaving everything and everyone behind, don't you?" Kris shook her head. "No wonder Haverstraw left you; she must have seen what I couldn't." Bertram scowled briefly and she smiled in triumph. "Tell me, _Ex-Governor_ Bertram," she snorted again. "Does Haverstraw know you've taken to punishing women in your bedroom, or is that only reserved for the special ones?"

"_Miss _Haverstraw passed away thirty months ago." Bertram responded, a certain amount of darkness in his tone. Kris stared at him in surprise. "Consumption is what ailed her, First Mate Saffron." She said nothing. Consumption wasn't a laughing matter. Neither Manse Island nor Governor's Island had faced the threat of consumption, but she knew the disease ran rampant through several highly populated islands. "Shell Island used to be Haverstraw Island, but the entire Haverstraw family line grew ill."

"Consumption is a nasty ailment." Kris commented, while Bertram nodded. Her few memories of Stephanie Haverstraw hadn't been good ones, but Kris wasn't about to besmirch a dead woman. "Please allow me to extend my deepest sympathies then."

Bertram made no movement. "Your deepest sympathies have been noted, First Mate Saffron." Kris continued to stare at Bertram, wondering how he had come to be in charge of Shell Island. "Enough about Miss Haverstraw though, as I am inquiring on how I can seek active employment on your ship."

If Kris had been drinking anything, Bertram would have found himself soaked. "You can't be serious?" Kris asked, once she had regained control of her vocal cords. "You want to _what_?"

"I want to work on this crew." Bertram repeated. Kris continued to stare. "Grace likes it here, First Mate Saffron. Her small setback with one of the crewmembers was an accident and she understands this." Her jaw almost hit the floor. From the lack of a smile or a laugh, Kris could see that Bertram wasn't kidding. He actually _wanted _to work on the Scarlet Oasis. "First Mate Saffron, I am only being given one more chance with Grace. She likes Officer Rigsby and I can't destroy their happiness; it would be selfish of me."

Kris nodded slowly. As much as she wanted Bertram off the ship, she knew he had a valid point. Rigsby was much happier with Grace and she knew (as much as he enjoyed interfering between herself and Jane) that he deserved happiness, especially after almost losing one of his best friends to Red John. "They do get along quite well."

_She keeps him busy too_, Kris thought.

"First Mate Saffron," Bertram had her attention again. "I come to you and ask, because you know what Grace needs." Kris raised her eyebrows. "My men would not take too kindly to a woman living amongst us, even if she was my sister."

"You mean you couldn't defend her, Governor?" James eyed her, which gave her the encouragement to go on. "You have a sword, you have an entire _army_. If you can't protect your sister from your minions, you aren't an excellent governor." She wished the entire bar could see their _fearful _Governor now; Bertram was nothing more than a cowardly commoner, who was looking for other options to keep his sister safe. If they saw what she was currently dealing with, they wouldn't see him as a "person to be feared". In fact, they would probably see him as that coward.

"I would just feel better if she were here." Bertram replied. "You have someone teaching her how to swordfight and somehow, she feels like she has a family inside of your crew. Who am I to break apart a family?" His eyes found hers and she almost cursed. Kris couldn't break the Bertram family apart, but she most certainly couldn't break the Scarlet Oasis family apart either. Lisbon had said, repeatedly, that the Scarlet Oasis was like one giant family; and to break the family went against all codes—the pirate code, especially. "You know my skills, First Mate Saffron. Please, let me stay with my sister."

Kris pinched the bridge of her nose. "Don't make me regret my decision, Bertram." She watched him nod, before she sighed again. "You can join our crew. Captain Jane will dislike my decision, but who cares? I run the crew around here, not him." A small smile lit up Bertram's face and Kris ignored the butterflies that flittered around in the pit of her stomach. "As for your duties on my ship, you will be learning the ship basics and assisting the gun crew." Bertram nodded.

"I'm fine with being a powder monkey, First Mate Saffron." Kris rolled her eyes at his terminology, but kept quiet. She did not intend to overwork him, although, Jane would probably request that Bertram do all menial tasks onboard. "Do we plan on leaving this island soon?"

"I have no idea." Kris replied, honestly. "The Captain hasn't told me of his plans." She had been trying to push Jane into leaving the island over the last few days, but the incorrigible pirate captain refused to leave. Apparently, he had something he needed to do first; and whatever he was doing, she hoped he would just leave her out of it. Kris had no need to be wrapped up in one of his stupid ideas, as she had enough to deal with.

She watched Bertram nod again. "I need to leave for a few hours then. I have to get my affairs in order, as I can't allow the island to run itself." She said nothing, as she watched him leave the ship with a small frown. Before Bertram would return, she knew she'd have to inform Jane that James was staying; and it wasn't going to be a fun conversation.

"He's not going to like this." Kris heard Cho comment from behind her and she turned her head to glance at him. He had his arms crossed against his chest, as he stared at her.

"I'll deal with him." Kris said with the shrug of her shoulders. "He'll have to understand that family comes first. I can't separate either of them, and Rigsby certainly won't let Grace go." Cho rolled his eyes and she smiled. Rigsby thought he and Grace were being sneaky in their relationship, when in fact, she and most of the crew already knew what was going on. "If Jane has a problem with this, he and I will fight it out. I'm not afraid to stab him, if he disagrees with my crew decisions."

"Aim for lower." Cho suggested and Kris snorted. "It might actually stop him from making these bad decisions."

"Once again, common sense is the key." Kris pointed out. "However, in the case of our dear Captain…"

"Dear to whom?" Cho interrupted.

Kris snickered. "Those ten-foot spiders on Cannibal Cove." Kris watched Cho roll his eyes again, which had her offering him a genuine smile. "I can handle myself, Cho. Jane's definitely easier to handle than Red John."

"I can't say I agree with you."

"Very few people can agree with my assessment of Patrick Jane." Kris retorted. "Rigsby thinks he's an idiot…"

"Rigsby is bitter." Cho said, while Kris continued to eye him. "He doesn't think Jane should be Captain. He thinks Jane is making Lisbon worse off." Kris frowned.

"What do you think?"

"Does it matter what I think?" Cho asked. "You're the First Mate. He's the Captain. You both make the decisions, I just carry them out."

"Of course, it matters!" Kris argued, shaking her head. "We're all a part of this crew, Cho. If we can't all agree on a course of action…"

"Nobody consulted with us on Lisbon's current state." Cho interrupted again. Kris frowned; they all had been consulted, but things just hadn't worked in their favors. "Nobody consulted with us on how Red John was to be killed. Nobody wanted to tell us where we were going next." Cho met her gaze. "What if one of us disliked this island? Or had a disliked family member on it?" Kris said nothing. "You try your best, but nobody can handle this like Lisbon could." She opened her mouth to defend herself, when he continued. "I'm not calling you a horrible First Mate, Kris. I'm just saying that she's had nine years on you; she knew what to tell us, she knew when to tell us and she knew why to tell us. You're still learning."

She fixed him with a stare. Lisbon was her best friend, but it didn't mean that she enjoyed being compared to the ex-first mate. It was infuriating to hear the crew compare their leadership skills, especially when they were two different people with two completely different ways of doing things. "Yeah, I am." Kris agreed with his "you're still learning" comment. "But it would be nice if you all would stop comparing me to someone, who can hardly move." She felt some guilt at the comment, but brushed it away; the crew needed to know who was in charge and who wasn't in charge.

"Lisbon can move." Cho remarked. Kris ignored him.

"If you don't like how I run things, you shouldn't have gotten her kidnapped. You had the chance to shoot O'Laughlin, but you didn't do it." Kris narrowed her eyes. "Also, if you didn't want me as your first mate, you should have told me to leave when we found Lisbon." None of the crew had objected to her role on the ship until after she had started a relationship with Jane. Lisbon had even agreed that Kris should keep the First Mate position, as she wasn't in any shape to take command of an entire ship and crew yet. "As for the island crack, I have been on several islands in the past year where I've hated somebody and you all kept me there; even forcing me to go _speak _with my parents, two of the people who have hurt me the most. None of you cared enough to talk the Captain out of visiting those islands, so why I would give you the same courtesy?"

Cho glanced away. "Have it your way." She rolled her eyes in response.

"I'm tired of defending myself, Cho. I'm tired of defending _my _actions, just because Lisbon wouldn't do what I'm currently doing." Kris continued with a sigh, before she moved to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I'm aware that things are not going as we all expected; I understand that Rigsby is displeased with Lisbon's treatment from Jane, but what can I do?" She waited for him to answer, but he said nothing. "Exactly, Cho! There's nothing you can say, because you know him as I do; he's an egotistical son of a bitch, who enjoys holding the past over her head." Cho nodded. "Am I saying he's right? Hell no. Am I saying he should treat her this way? No, Cho, I'm not. Lisbon knows that I'm trying to help her, Cho. If you don't believe me, you can ask her."

"I believe you."

"No," Kris argued. "You don't." She shook her head. "I just want all of us to work together." She frowned. "Red John destroyed this crew; he destroyed the friendship between the crew officers. You, Rigsby and Jane can't be in the same room anymore, without someone bursting out into a fight. You, Rigs and I can't even have a pleasant conversation, without someone questioning my leadership skills." She continued to frown. "I don't want the crew worrying that something is up, Cho. We're all supposed to be united, but these…" she paused to wave her hand around. "…public displays of outbursts and questioning will only undermine what we've—Lisbon, included—worked so hard to obtain; respect." With nothing else to say, she turned on her heels. "Think on my words, okay? I'm going to go talk with Jane."

"Rigsby, Mashburn and I will be joining you." Cho responded and she spun on her heels to face him, surprise on her face. "This is an officer matter, Kris. If you want Bertram to stay, we'll all see that he stays; you don't like him, we get this, we'll make sure he stays away from Jane." Kris smiled slightly, before she cleared her throat and nodded.

"Thank you."

"It's time we all start acting like a crew." Cho replied, after a moment of silence. "We'll deal with the matter of James and Grace Van Pelt Bertram first, then, we'll deal with the matter of Lisbon; she needs to stay somewhere else." Kris nodded again in agreement. "She's spent enough time near the brig, Kris, and I don't think she's healing." She bit her lip. They hadn't approached the topic of Lisbon's emotional wellbeing yet, as they were still trying to convince her to eat more to gain her full strength back; none of them, including Lewis, had been able to convince her to do so and it was starting to trouble them all again.

"We'll discuss Lisbon." Kris agreed, firmly. "Go get Mashburn and Rigsby." She watched Cho nod. "I think we'll leave Lisbon, Bertram and Grace out of this conversation however." Bertram and Grace weren't officers on the crew and they weren't about to discuss Lisbon _in front _of Lisbon, as Kris would hate to make the young woman feel awkward. She turned on her heel again and started toward the Captain Quarters again, where a half-dressed Jane greeted her with an enthusiastic kiss.

"Back for more already?" Kris heard Jane ask and she rolled her eyes. Why couldn't he just _keep _it in his pants? If anyone else from the crew had needed him, the "lucky" crewmember would have stumbled upon _only _a shirted Jane.

"Put some pants on, Jane." Kris ordered, while he eyed her. "We need to hold an officer meeting." She watched him raise his eyebrow. "You _are _the Captain of this ship, are you not?" He made no movement to answer her question. "Hence, we actually need to do ship business in here." Jane said nothing and she continued to watch him, as he hurriedly bent down and affixed his pants to his body again.

"Can I ask what we're discussing?" Jane questioned, after he had settled back down in his desk chair (fully clothed).

Kris bit her lip. Did she tell him, so he'd be prepared? Or did she keep it a secret from him, and just let him be surprised when the crew officers brought the subjects to his attention? The cocky smile on his face made her grimace, before she decided to keep the meeting a surprise. "You'll find out during the meeting, Jane."

Jane lost his smile. "But, I want to know now."

"I don't care." Kris said. Jane opened his mouth to speak, when she continued. "And if you pull your _I'm Captain_ bullshit, I'm going to decapitate you. I'm the first mate; I have the right to disclose whatever information that I feel is appropriate." Jane's mouth slowly closed and she smiled. "You'll listen to what we have to say, participate in this conversation and you'll leave Rigsby and Cho alone."

"Kris…" He seemed honestly surprised at her behavior, which confused her. Was he expecting her to bow over and let him do whatever he wanted to everyone else? While his dropped jaw _was _amusing, she knew they had business to discuss.

"No, Jane." Kris stomped her foot on the ground. "I'm tired of it. I want this crew to get along and I want you all to get along _now_. Not after a trip to our next island, not after tomorrow. Right now!" Jane said nothing. "We're going to have this conversation, Jane. I know you're not going to like it and you'll do anything to prevent it, which is why I won't tell you."

Jane continued to stare. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

Kris smiled in triumph, as someone knocked on the door to the Captain's Quarters.

* * *

Jane hid his grimace from Kris, as she turned on her heels and opened the door from his quarters. He didn't enjoy being sprung with last minute meetings _especially _surprise ones. His first mate _knew _he was the Captain and that he wanted updates on all things happening upon the ship, as it was his; but she apparently thought keeping everything secret from him was a good idea.

_I saved them all_, he thought bitterly as he watched all of the crew officers stumble into his quarters. He peered at all of them with his eyes narrowed, before he approached them all and smiled widely. If Kris thought he wasn't being _nice enough_, he had a feeling he'd be on the receiving end of a lecture.

"Good afternoon, my fellow officers." Jane greeted, brightly. Rigsby gave him a stare of derision, while Mashburn and Cho merely nodded in response. Instead of saying anything else, he wrapped his arm around Kris's waist. "Whatever are we here to discuss, officers?"

Kris swiftly moved from his hold and he frowned.

_What in the hell is her problem_? Although their afternoon activities had been quite pleasing, something had felt off about everything. Jane hadn't attributed the off feeling to Bertram being on the ship, but more because _Kris _had been pulling away the entire time. She hid her lapses in attention well, but something had been eating at the first mate's brain; and Jane was annoyed. He knew he couldn't expect her to pay full attention to him, but lies annoyed the hell out of him.

Cho interrupted his thoughts. "We're not here to fight. We're here to discuss issues."

"What issues?" Jane asked, crossing his arms against his chest. "Everything is perfect, upon my ship." He gave them all smiles, while Rigsby grimaced.

"Technically," Mashburn said. "This isn't your ship, old friend, it's mine." Mashburn smiled brightly and Jane rolled his eyes. Just because the financial advisor _bought _the ship, didn't actually make the ship his; it just meant that he had control of certain aspects that even the Captain couldn't touch. "But we're not here about technicalities. We're here about things I have no idea about yet."

He heard Kris scoff. "Are we going to start this meeting or what? I've got things to finish _before _nightfall, guys." Jane chuckled at the determination in Kris's voice, which only caused her to roll her eyes. "We're here to discuss several things; however, I don't want to hear any badmouthing. We all need to work together, as our fights could be causing some…tension amongst the crew?"

Rigsby nodded. "Some of the crewmembers are wondering if we know what we're doing."

"I most certainly know what I'm doing." Jane responded. Kris eyed him. "What? I do. It must be one of the other officers, who don't know what they're doing." Everyone (aside from Cho) grimaced and he continued to smile. "I've been here longer than almost everyone, aside from Walter and Lisbon." He watched Rigsby's grimace deepen. "What?"

"This is _exactly _what I'm talking about." Kris answered with her eyes on his. "We're supposed to working together—not questioning the leadership of other officers," he watched her attention focus on Rigsby and Cho briefly, which made Jane wonder what had been said between the three of them. "Not cutting each other down in front of the crewmembers," her eyes went back to his and he grimaced. "And we're not supposed to be trying to run this ship into the ground, gentlemen. We're all mature individuals, who should be able to crew and man a ship without issue."

"Hear, hear." Mashburn chimed in.

"You don't even run this crew." Jane remarked and Mashburn grinned.

"I'm here for the moral support, gentlemen." Mashburn answered, bunching his rhinestone vest around himself. "Kristina…"

"Kris." Kris corrected.

"Kristina is our first mate; she called this meeting for a specific reason, which means we need to pay attention." Jane eyed Mashburn in mute surprise. He had expected the financial advisor to hit on the first mate, as he did in almost every officer meeting, but his support of her was a little off setting. "I'd also like to hurry this up; I have an important second meeting with someone on this ship."

Kris smiled. "Of course, you do." Jane said nothing, as he moved to sit behind his desk and lean back in his chair to view each of his officers. None of them seemed too hostile in meeting with him, which meant the conversation topics couldn't be _that _bad. "First order of business is James Bertram and Grace Van Pelt Bertram."

Jane eyed her. "What about them? They'll both be off this ship soon, I hope."

"Unfortunately not." Kris responded, as she moved to cross her arms against her chest. Jane shot from his chair in question. "Sit your ass down, Jane. Bertram doesn't want to take his sister from our family, which means he has requested to stay with us…"

"You'll obviously tell him no." Jane argued, sitting back down. "We don't have room for another…"

"Sure we do!" Mashburn cheerfully interrupted. Jane stared at him. "Whether anyone thought about doing a headcount or not islands ago…"

"We're aware that we've lost a few members, Walter." Kris interrupted. "Whether it's because of illness, Red John…" Everyone grimaced again. "Or for some unknown reason, we have no idea why we've lost _at least _ten crewmembers in the past eight months."

"We still need to count for the addition of Grace and Lewis Charles, Walter." Jane argued again.

Mashburn rocked on the ball of his feet. "Lewis, aside from taking care of Teresa, does enough small jobs on this island to help us with supplies and food. Grace Van Pelt Bertram…"

"…is not being kicked off this ship." Rigsby said, which almost made Jane laugh. He really thought his so-called _golden-hearted _persona could save his little girlfriend, Grace? "We didn't save her from Governor's Island, only to chuck her back onto Shell Island. She's a beautiful young woman, Captain; think what would happen to her."

"That's not my concern once she leaves the ship." Rigsby, Mashburn and Kris glared at him. "It's in the rules."

"And when have we _ever _followed the rules?" Rigsby asked, also crossing his arms across his chest. "You're dating the first mate, Captain. If Lisbon was more aware of your actions, she'd be horrified at the amount of rules being…"

"But Lisbon isn't here, is she?"

"She's still a crewmember, Jane." Cho answered. "Even if she doesn't have much authority or ability on this ship, she still knows the rules of this ship. If she comes to actual terms that you and she are in a relationship, Lisbon will be upset."

"Lisbon knows of our relationship." Kris told him. "She's supportive of us being together." Jane beamed at his girlfriend. He had known talking to Lisbon was the best course of action, especially when it came to his relationship with Kris; the blooming friendship (or rather, reemerging best friendship) was one of the best things for him. "We're not here to argue my relationship with Jane, though. We're here to decide if James Bertram should be granted a spot on this crew."

"I say no." Jane gave. Everyone eyed him. "Bertram has already tried to arrest myself, Kris _and _Lisbon. He's the son of well-known Governor Gale Bertram, who has placed a hit on _all _of us, for the murder of Red John…"

"Give the guy a break, Jane." Rigsby defended Bertram. "It can't be easy being the son of a horrible Governor." Jane almost wanted to remind Rigsby that _Kris _had also been the beloved daughter of a high priest, who had tried to condemn the Scarlet Oasis years ago for their so-called sins. But he wasn't about to bring Kris's family history into the conversation, especially with the reemergence of James Bertram.

"Or being a member of upper society, for that matter." Cho added.

Mashburn nodded. "It's really not. We think the Scarlet Oasis rules are lofty, but try being the Governor's son." Mashburn shrugged his shoulders, before he smiled. "It's surprising Mr. Bertram wasn't forced onto Red John's crew, as many young men were."

"Bertram didn't have the temperament." Kris explained, dryly. "He can leave everyone, but he couldn't kill anybody. His father thought he was a waste of space and promptly thought about training him…"

"His training obviously failed." Jane cut in and Kris nodded. "He's been thrown onto Shell Island, which from the latest rumors I've heard…"

"…is a debtor's island." Cho finished much to Jane's chagrin. "After the island stopped being owned by the Haverstraw's, the island became home to Bertram's prisoners."

Jane heard Mashburn exhale, sharply. "Was Gale Bertram trying to kill his son?" Jane raised his eyebrow in question. "There's only a handful of reasons why a father would send his son to a debtor island; and none of them are good." Jane urged Mashburn to explain further with his hand, but the man refused to say anything else. He had never grown up in high society, and unless Walter Mashburn explained the importance behind his statement; Jane had a feeling he'd remain in the dark about exactly why they should offer James Bertram a spot on the ship.

"In a sense," Kris continued, "Bertram will be dead, after we leave the island." Jane's full attention went to her and he tried to hide his smile. Was he a bad person because he _wanted _James Bertram dead? Bertram was trying to steal his girlfriend and in a general sense of things, Jane thought the appropriate punishment _was _death. "We're on a Bertram-owned island, guys. I wouldn't be surprised if they were told to apprehend us to gain their freedom, but something stopped them."

"Which begs the question of _what _stopped them?" Mashburn asked.

"Or rather, who." Rigsby answered. "James could have arrested you three upon first sight, but he didn't. Why didn't he?" Rigsby's eyes went to Kris, who merely grimaced.

"Do I look like the expert on all things James Bertram, Rigsby?" Kris asked, placing her hands on her hips. "He's a lazy Governor—sorry, _ex-governor_—who lost his ability to swordfight. As far as I'm concerned, he's washed up."

"Would you let him die?" Cho questioned.

Kris pursed her lips. "I'm not a monster. I have personal reasons for wanting to deny him a role on this crew, but I can't willingly end a human life. I had no issues wanting Craig O'Laughlin, Timothy Carter or Red John dead, but James Bertram isn't responsible for the state my best friend is in." Nods went around the room. "If I rejected his offer to join our crew, I'd be breaking apart the Bertram family. If I rejected his offer to join our crew, I'd be putting both him _and _Grace in danger as Bertram wouldn't hesitate on offering his daughter to the next menacing pirate crew."

Rigsby grimaced. "If he touched her, I'd…"

"Planning the Governor's death is illegal." Cho interrupted with a small smirk. "You could be thrown onto this island, if any of us really wanted to press charges." Mashburn laughed, before he patted Cho on the back. Rigsby merely blinked.

"Not funny, man."

"It wasn't meant to be." Kris answered, darkly. "If any of us conspired to kill a member of the _Bertram _family line, our punishment would be death."

"But Gale Bertram can sentence his own son to death?" Jane asked and he watched both Mashburn and Kris nod. "Explain to me why we need the high society again?"

"The Scarlet Oasis is against _all _Red John followers and supporters, Patrick." Mashburn explained. "Gale Bertram, David Saffron," Kris scowled at the mention of her father, "Bret Stiles…"

"We're not against Stiles." Kris gave, still with a scowl.

"But we're not for him either." Mashburn answered and Jane nodded. "Governor Stiles is too powerful of a man _not _to use; as much as we'd enjoy cutting ties with Cannibal Cove, he _did _help us find Teresa." Nobody said anything, which allowed Mashburn to continue. "Osvaldo Ardiles, Dumar Hardy, Todd Johnson, Craig O'Laughlin, Timothy Carter…"

"The last four are already dead." Jane interrupted. "Red John killed Dumar; we killed Johnson, O'Laughlin and Carter on the Red Rum."

"Not the point, Patrick." Mashburn said. "Threatening to kill _any _of those family members is an immediate death sentence. The Bertram and Saffron family lines wouldn't hesitate to have any of their children murdered, because more can always be created…"

"We're expendable." Kris dryly joked. "My mother was pregnant last year, and if Bertram felt like it, he could always marry some woman and kill her after the birth of said heir." Nods went around the room again. "Neither Bertram—Junior or Grace—or myself are safe, especially if the royal families begin to offer rewards for their children's heads."

"If they touch…" Jane started, moving his hand to his scabbard. He watched Kris roll her eyes again, which made him raise his eyebrows in question. Did she not want him defending her?

"David Saffron won't touch her." Cho gave. "And if Bret Stiles didn't touch her on Cannibal Cove, she's safe."

"But that was before we killed Red John." Rigsby pointed out and Jane said nothing. "Red John provided Bret Stiles with all of his food; we'd be idiots not to think that Stiles doesn't resent us for what happened…"

"Bret knew we were killing Red John." Jane answered. "Lisbon and I made it _perfectly _clear that we were going to kill him, which is what I did." He beamed at all of his officers, who merely scoffed in response. "If Bret is angry with anyone, it'll be Lisbon or I. He won't touch Kris, as she comes from a respected family." Jane shrugged his shoulders at their stares.

"And yet, he'll go after Lisbon?"

"I can only make guesses."

Rigsby narrowed his eyes. "Shouldn't you do something about this?"

"Why?" Jane asked, glancing at his officers. "Red John is dead; unless they have a new food source, Bret's island could be on the brink of…"

"You're still chancing Lisbon's life, Jane!" Rigsby interrupted. "Don't you think she needs a break _once_? Between being treated horrible before her kidnapping," Jane grimaced, remembering their shared conversation about his behavior toward Lisbon. "And being treated horrible at the hands of the Red Rum, do you think we should take the risk of Bret Stiles lightly?"

"Yeah, Jane." Kris chimed in. "Stiles is a cannibal."

"A friendly cannibal." Jane said. "He's a friendly cannibal, who has given us all safe passage onto his island."

Everyone stared at him, before Cho replied, "Because that makes all the difference."

"What do you all want me to do?" Jane asked them. "Take on Governor Bertram, _and _write a letter to Bret Stiles?" Rigsby nodded. "Do you know how asinine that sounds, Rigsby? The original members of the Scarlet Oasis, pre-Red John's death, have safe passage. The Bertram's do not."

"Neither does Lewis."

Jane frowned. He needed Lewis to keep a close eye on Lisbon for him, as he spent most of his spare time with Kris; and without Lewis onboard, he knew he'd spend more time helping her. "I'll write Stiles a letter, happy?" The officers all nodded and Jane rolled his eyes. "As for both Bertram's being on this ship, I feel you all are being ridiculous."

Kris lifted her eyebrows. "You don't make the staffing decisions around here, _Captain_, I do. If you don't like the fact that I've allowed them onto our ship, you can step down from your post as Captain." Jane sputtered. "Exactly."

_Step down from Captain_? The very thought was laughable! He had been Captain from the very beginning and he was going to be Captain until the very end with Kris by his side. No Bertram (male, female, father, or son) was going to ruin _his _happiness and chance at power.

"Where will they sleep?" Rigsby asked, almost too eagerly.

"Grace doesn't sleep in her bed." Jane snidely commented, which Rigsby ignored. "She shouldn't be considered a crewmember, unless she…"

"Jane." Kris warned. "Technically, Lisbon doesn't sleep in a designated bedroom either. If you abide by the rules set down for crewmembers, Lisbon has to be kicked off the ship also." Jane nearly cursed. "And if you _try _to kick my best friend off this ship, I will have your head. She's been through too much, which means that she needs something stable—this ship." Mashburn nodded in agreement. "Grace can continue sleeping wherever she wants, as long as her duties don't suffer." Rigsby grinned.

Jane sneered. "This is my…"

"Don't you even start," Kris stopped him. "It doesn't escape my knowledge that you were with Grace the day Lisbon injured her, and you did absolutely nothing to soothe either crewmember. Consider this a punishment." Jane glanced at his girlfriend, his mouth open slightly.

"You were the reason why Grace refuses to be around Lisbon or Lewis, Jane." Rigsby answered. "This might be your ship and your crew, but we all have a say here."

"If you all had a say here," Jane offered Rigsby a dark stare. "I wouldn't need the title of Captain, now would I?" He glanced at them all. "Yes, we all live here. Yes, we all care about our other officers. But don't misunderstand me, Officer, I call the shots here. Not Kris," he could see Kris's stare of disapproval, but he didn't care. "Not Lisbon, not you, or even Cho. I am the solo Captain here, and I expect to be treated as such."

"Bullshit!" Kris shot back. "You do absolutely nothing on this ship, aside from terrorize the crew officers and make Lisbon's recovery a living nightmare, Jane!" Jane glanced at Kris again. He wasn't doing anything to the other crew officers, and as for her "accusation" about Lisbon, he almost thought about telling her that he could treat her anyway he liked as she left them all. "I only told you about Bertram staying out of a common courtesy, Jane. I didn't want you thinking that he would try to kill you while you were sleeping, but now I'm regretting my kind decision."

"Kind?" Jane snorted. "You already made the decision and then expected me to go along with it. Whatever happened to a voting process on this ship, _love_?" He hoped his sarcastic tone hit home. "You all preach about equal decision making processes, yet you refuse to let me have a say? You constantly deny me my right to say Captain, yet you all are ready to claim me as Captain when something goes awry." He shook his head and stared down at his desk. "Obviously, Bertram stays. I have no say, because it seems _my crew _loves someone who tried to arrest their _previous first mate_." He glanced up in time to see Rigsby flinch, which made him smirk. "You all obviously care very little for Lisbon, if you're letting James Bertram onto this ship. Have none of you thought that he might try and rape her?"

Silence fell across the room, and Jane continued. "Of course you didn't. After all, why would we think that a _Red John follower _would come after Lisbon, especially after we _killed _their beloved master, hm?" Nobody said anything. "Your behavior sickens me."

"_Our _behavior sickens you?" Rigsby said. "_Our _behavior?" Jane watched Rigsby snort. "We asked you take care of Bret Stiles and you _wave _him off, yet you have a problem with James Bertram?" Rigsby shook his head and snorted again. "You already have Lisbon kept to the _smallest _bedroom on the ship; what worse could you do to her?"

"Rigsby." Kris warned.

"No, Kris." Rigsby continued. "If the Captain wants _my _respect, he'll move Lisbon from that hellhole. He'll stop putting her near the brig and move her somewhere else." Rigsby threw one of his fists down on Jane's desk, which had him out of his seat again. "Hell! I'll give her my bedroom, Jane!"

Jane blinked. "I don't see why I should rearrange _my _ship or crew for someone, who doesn't…" He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, as someone's hand cut across his face. In surprise, Jane pressed one of his hands against his cheek and stared at Kris. She had absolutely no right to hit him, but with the way she looked ready to throttle him, he wisely kept his opinions to himself.

"You son of a bitch." Kris said, spitting. "You don't do anything and we accommodate for you by working around the clock! At least Lisbon has an excuse!" She fixed him with a glare. "What's yours for sitting on your ass all day?"

"I work!" Jane defended.

"What's your work, _Captain_?" Kris shot back. "Having sex with me?" The room went silent again, while Kris smirked. "Don't tell me that you _work_, Jane. You have no idea what _work _is."

"I killed Red John!"

"Congratulations for actually doing something!" Kris replied. "But, let's see what Lisbon has done for the past nine years! She's saved your ass, helped you not get eaten by cannibals, stuck by you, was a friend and ran your damned ship!" He heard her snort. "I'd say you have nine years to catch up on, before you even gripe! She deserves a fucking break and I will be making sure that she gets one." Kris turned on her heels and started toward the door, but not before, she glanced back at them all. "I will be moving out of the first mate bedroom and by the end of the evening; Lisbon _will _be in her new bedroom." Jane opened his mouth to argue her decision, when she continued again. "I will _not _be staying with you, Jane. Right now, you're lucky I don't kill you. Or do something worse to you." Her eyes strayed below his waistline and he sank back down into his chair, mollified at the suggestion she was making. "I'm done with this conversation, fellow officers and asshole."

Without another word, he watched Kris leave his quarters.

The other officers weren't too far behind her either.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

Thank you to Frogster for the lovely review!

* * *

Rigsby pulled Grace down onto his lap, as James entered Mashburn's spacious quarters and took the empty spot next to the both of them. Grace leaned over to press her lips against her brother's cheek. James merely smiled and awkwardly returned the small favor, much to Rigsby's amusement. In the six months that James had been aboard the Scarlet Oasis, the man had nearly dropped his cold Shell Island persona and had become someone, who most of the crew liked.

Of course, Kris still disliked him; but the tentative relationship between Kris and James was a work in progress.

"I'm almost surprised to see that you're still alive, James." Rigsby greeted teasingly, before he wrapped his arms around Grace's stomach. "Jane's attempted to have other crew members clean the entire ship, but none of them have actually survived." Grace turned her head to fix him with a stare and he watched her roll her eyes, which caused him to chuckle.

James shrugged. "It could be worse, I suppose. The Captain could have me cleaning his quarters." Rigsby shook his head in response, frowning. He knew James had a valid point, as Jane _still _disliked the newest crewmember, but Rigsby also thought he needed to get over his general dislike. Kris wasn't going to be "taken away" by Jane, as Jane already had his claws in her.

The engagement ring on her finger proved that much.

"Yeah," Rigsby agreed, attempting to hide his smile. "You could be cleaning out Mr. and Mrs. Jane's bed." He felt Grace's hand hit down hard on his shoulder, before James glanced at him. Although the crew found Kris's "engagement" (if the sham of being engaged in the middle of the ocean, whilst sailing counted for anything) funny and called her 'Mrs. Jane' behind her back; James didn't find the little joke so charming, however. "Imagine all of the lovely things you'd find there."

"He might find Kristina's hot body, Wayne." Mashburn commented, after he took a sip of his red wine. Rigsby eyed him and grimaced. He understood that Mashburn hit on _everything _that moved, but the first mate still deserved more respect than what Mashburn was currently giving.

"Show her respect, Walter." James replied, narrowing his eyes on Mashburn. Mashburn grinned, before he took another sip of his wine. "She is the First Mate, after all."

"First Mate or not, she's still hot." Mashburn said and James stood from the couch. He crossed his arms against his chest and met Mashburn's stare. "Calm yourself, James. You're not here for her, remember?" Rigsby hid his grin at Mashburn's words, while James fumed. "Look Wayne, his temper is showing. Can we keep him?"

Grace burst out laughing, before Rigsby answered. "Sure we can. He's adorable when he's angry, according to Grace."

"Do you want him, Rigs?" Cho asked from the corner of the room, holding his own mug. Grace merely laughed harder as Rigsby fixed Cho with a glare. "He's taken."

"By me!" Grace chimed in, leaping out of his lap and pressing her lips against James's cheek again. James wrapped his arms around his sister and Rigsby playfully glared at them both. "Oh calm down, Wayne. I'm still yours." Rigsby grinned at his girlfriend, who moved from James's arms and pressed her lips against his.

Rigsby heard Mashburn whistle. "I didn't pay for this type of entertainment, but I'll take it." He ignored Mashburn's lewd comment to continue kissing Grace, who smelled strongly of lilacs. Her lips felt soft against his and he briefly smiled, before his tongue found hers. "Your sister has…"

"If you finish that sentence, I'll kill you with my bare hands." Rigsby heard James threaten, before Grace pulled away from him and he caught a brief sight of her trembling and swollen lips. "In case you've forgotten, that's my _sister_."

"It's okay, James." Grace said, placing her hand against her brother's upper arm. "Walter isn't good enough for me." Rigsby's smile grew, as he stared at the woman he loved. Cho eyed him and shook his head. While their relationship had been progressing nicely, Rigsby had yet to tell her how he truly felt; he wanted to scream from atop the mass that he loved her, but something told him that Kris wouldn't exactly appreciate that. "I like Wayne, Walter. I appreciate your compliments, but I'm a taken woman." Grace turned back to him. "I'd like to stay longer with the four of you, but I can't. I have my sword fighting lessons today."

"Can I watch?" Mashburn asked, eagerly.

Rigsby narrowed his eyes. "If you don't stop it, I will also kill you with my bare hands." Mashburn threw up his hands in surrender and Rigsby kissed Grace again. "I'll see you later tonight." Grace smiled brightly, before she left the room.

"You have it bad." Cho commented. "It's better than Kris and Jane, but not by much."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Kimball." Mashburn replied, smiling. "At least Patrick doesn't make out with Kristina in front of us, even though I would enjoy that." Rigsby rolled his eyes. He couldn't wait until they were on Cannibal Cove, as it meant that Mashburn would find some way to relieve his pent-up sexual frustrations on someone other than Kris, Grace or Lisbon. "Anyway, gentlemen. I have a date with an apple, Kimball would you like to join me?"

"No." Cho gave.

Mashburn frowned. "What do you have against apples?"

"You like them." Rigsby chuckled at Cho's response, before both Mashburn and Cho left the room. James collapsed next to him on the couch and closed his eyes.

"If you're tired, you should go get some sleep." Rigsby suggested.

"I'm not tired." James muttered. "I'm simply resting my body for when the Captain needs me again." Rigsby shook his head once more. All Jane did was try to run James off the ship, which caused a never-ending battle between the crew officers and the Captain. Once, Jane had almost attempted to leave James and Lisbon on Rose Island together, after he had ordered the both of them onto the island to collect supplies. However, Kris had caught onto his "brilliant" plan for getting rid of James and had screamed at Jane for days.

Being sent (and almost abandoned) on Rose Island had caused Lisbon to latch onto James, who now spent most of his time with Lisbon. Rigsby hadn't seen much of their friendship, but Grace often discussed the relationship between her instructor and brother and from her words, he knew that Lisbon really did like James.

"If you want, I could…"

James halted him with his hand, his eyes still closed. "I appreciate the help, Wayne, but I doubt Jane would listen to you. He seems set on hating me and there's nothing we can do." Rigsby frowned. He wished he could do something, as James didn't deserve the poor treatment. "And don't think about going to Kristina either." Rigsby eyed him in surprise. "She's got enough on her mind right now, and I doubt she would appreciate yelling at her current roommate again." Out of anger, Rigsby clenched his fists together. Kris should have continued staying with Cho, she should have never decided to move in with Jane; their entire "engagement" could have been avoided, if the two had been separated more. He knew it wasn't any of his business to keep her away from Jane, but he just wanted her happy.

"She won't listen to me, anyway." Rigsby muttered and his eyes met James.

"She's never taken well to nagging, Wayne." James explained with a small smile. "If you tell her she's doing wrong, you'll only push her further into his arms." Rigsby frowned. He didn't want her actually saying _yes _to his engagement, because as much as they all joked about her being Mrs. Jane, she wasn't Mrs. Jane. He knew Kris was still deliberating over the decision and he thanked the small miracle of her _not _saying yes yet. "She rarely sees the bad in anyone, which means, until the Captain does something ill-thought; she won't be leaving him."

"He's done plenty of ill-thought things." Rigsby argued, watching James shake his head. "What?"

"He's done plenty of ill-thought things to me, who she doesn't like." James explained. "He's done plenty of ill-thought things to Teresa, however, she won't tattle." Rigsby furrowed his brows in confusion. "She's afraid he'll kick her off the ship again."

He grimaced. "If Jane kicks her off the ship, Kris will kill him."

"I've tried telling her that." James replied.

"She doesn't believe you?"

"She wants to believe me, but Jane has her believing that Kris wouldn't want her either; too much trouble, apparently." He continued to grimace. "It's a slow process to untangle, but she's becoming less lifeless. She's actually challenging him again, which I hear is a good thing."

"It is!" Rigsby said, losing his grimace to smile. He had witnessed Lisbon's moment of explosive anger toward Jane, because the man had tried to separate her from James. Jane's face at her words had been one of the highlights on the crew in the past six months; he had looked as if someone had slapped him repeatedly. "I almost wanted to call her First Mate Lisbon again, until I remembered that she's not completely healed yet."

James frowned. "She's getting there though." Rigsby nodded. Moving Lisbon from the brig and into her old bedroom had done wonders for the ex-first mate, as she wasn't being constantly reminded of her days on the dreary Red Rum. "Even Lewis seems happier at her progress; and above all else, she's eating again."

_If she's away from him, of course she'll be better_. Rigsby thought, almost wanting to roll his eyes. While the Red Rum had done a number on the ex-first mate, the Scarlet Oasis captain was doing even more than _just _a silly little number on her. He had no doubts that Lisbon would never tell them what Jane had fully done to her, as he had her too brainwashed to actively speak against him to anyone else.

The sound of someone knocking on the door had James groaning. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Rigsby watched James stand from his spot and move toward Mashburn's Quarter door to open the door. "Good evening, Captain. How may I…?"

"Save it, Bertram." Jane interrupted, moving past him. "I'm here to speak with Officer Rigsby. Go finish cleaning." Rigsby bit his tongue to keep from saying anything, as James merely nodded and excused himself from the room. Jane shut the door after James, before he turned to stare at Rigsby. "Because of the new rule," Jane sneered and Rigsby continued to bite his tongue. After Jane's comments about Lisbon months ago, Kris had taken the slight hint to require every meeting between previous first mate and Jane to be overviewed by a crew officer. "I need you to sit on my meeting with Lisbon and Lewis. We're meeting in my quarters."

"Of course, sir." Rigsby supplied and followed Jane out of Mashburn's quarters and into the Captain's Quarters, where Lisbon and Lewis sat around the Captain's table. Lisbon met his gaze with a nod and he smiled toward her. "I'll stand right here." Rigsby leaned his head back against the doors from Jane's Quarters and listened to the conversation, which was unfolding between the three crewmembers.

"It's good to see that you're up and about, Lisbon. How are you feeling?" Jane spoke, after a moment of silence. "We were all worried about you for a while there." Rigsby watched Lisbon hesitantly smile, as if she were unsure of Jane's motives for having the conversation. Lewis, he also noticed, nodded his head slightly before she spoke.

"Thank you, Jane." Lisbon slowly responded. "I've been feeling much better lately, thank you for asking." From what Rigsby could see, Jane was smiling and that smile worried him. Judging by Lisbon's sour expression, it worried her also. "What did you need to see me for?"

"It's come to my attention that you aren't doing your duties." Rigsby eyed Jane in confusion. The only duties that he could remember Lisbon being assigned to was training Grace and occasionally running errands, which she couldn't do in the middle of the ocean. "You spend most of your time with the newest deckhand, Lisbon. I'd like you to start training for your old position back."

Lewis crossed his arms against his chest. "Do you think that's such a good idea, Captain? She still gets weak on occasion…"

"This is none of your business, Lewis." Jane interrupted. "This is between Lisbon and I. Until you become the Captain of the Scarlet Oasis, you can't call the shots."

"Kris calls the shots." Rigsby muttered under his breath, gaining a glare from Jane.

"Do you know how much being around Bertram hurts Kris, Lisbon?" Jane threw and Lisbon pressed herself back against the chair. Lewis grabbed hold of her shoulder. "She's your supposed best friend, yet, you hang out with the man who left her out of greed." Rigsby grimaced. Jane's words were complete bullshit and he probably knew it too. "It would do good to remind you that Kris is my girlfriend and if you hurt her, I will have you removed from the ship."

Rigsby took a step forward. "Kris has specifically warned you about _that_ threat, Jane." His eyes went to Lisbon, who seemed even smaller in her chair. "If you kick her off, Kris won't stay. Kris is loyal to Lisbon and Lisbon is loyal to Kris." Rigsby shook his head, before he continued. "If anything, Lisbon is actually helping Kris!"

Jane scoffed. "Helping? How in the hell does a traitor help anyone?"

"Traitor, sir?" Lewis asked.

"Yes, Lewis." Jane replied. "When Kris finds out that her supposed best friend and her ex are sleeping together…"

"What in the hell are you on?" Rigsby interrupted, angrily. "Lisbon and James aren't sleeping together! They're best friends. Lisbon would never do that, but you are doing that." Rigsby watched Jane narrow his eyes. "What? Are you too stupid to follow what I'm saying? Do I need to say it slower?"

"My relationship with Kris, once again, is none of your damned business." Jane said. "Stay out of it."

"It wouldn't _be _our business, if you didn't put on such a show with her…" Before Rigsby could actively see it coming, he felt Jane's fist slam into his face and he hit the door with a shuddering force.

* * *

Kris stared out into the choppy waters, as she twisted Jane's engagement ring around on her finger and tried to ignore the crew's inane chatter around her. She could hear a few of them muttering something about _Mrs. Jane_, but she wasn't about to face them; her attention was forced elsewhere and she only wanted to be left alone.

Of course, being left alone wasn't something she got too often. Being the first mate required that she spent _most _of her day with her fellow crewmembers, ordering them to do whatever Jane hadn't thought about.

_I haven't had a day to myself in nearly three months_, Kris realized with a lurch. Jane's sudden (and unexpected) proposal had totally caught her off guard in the middle of the ocean, with Lisbon standing nearby and smiling lightly as if she were approving of the possible marriage. It was a sweet gesture, she had to admit, but she still wasn't the marrying type; yet she just couldn't bring herself to answer his sweet (yet corny) proposal.

_"I don't just love you, Kris. I'm _in _love with you."_

Staring into the ocean, she rolled her eyes at his words. He wasn't _in _love with her, he was just _lusting _over her; his hands and mouth told her that much, especially when she was trying to actually sleep at night. To him, it apparently didn't matter that she still was deliberating on his marriage proposal, because she still slept in his bed and because she still wore his ring on her finger.

But then again, she was trying to understand why anyone would want to marry her.

Bertram had asked once and then, he had left her. She had been prepared to throw away all of her beliefs about the evil of marriage for him, and in return, he had ripped out her heart and thrown it to the side. She would have become Mrs. James Bertram, years ago, if he had only just stayed long enough to get an answer of yes. However, she had long moved past the Bertram issue.

Jane, on the other hand, wasn't anything like Bertram. They had both felt the need to protect her, but while Bertram's protection had felt comforting, Jane's protection only felt smothering. She understood why he felt the need to protect her from any conversation with Bertram, but his hovering behavior was starting to irk her. She had her sword, she knew how to fight and yet, Jane still insisted that dangerslurked upon the Scarlet Oasis.

_You're the only danger here, Jane. _Kris thought, shaking her head. _At least Bertram is trying to help with Lisbon, while you're only trying to bring her down. _A forbidden smile crossed her lips at the thought of all the things that Bertram had done for Lisbon, as he seemed to be the only other person (aside from her and the crew officers) who actually wanted to do anything for her.

Bertram's friendship with Lisbon was still an unexplained oddity. Kris had tried to warn Lisbon about the dangers of being friends with Bertram, but she hadn't listened; instead, she had burst into a frenzy of tears about not being able to have her own friends. Eventually, she had just learned to let Lisbon make her own decisions (within reason) and in turn, Lisbon kept Bertram away from her.

Although, she wasn't too sure if that was what she wanted.

"Kristina!" Kris heard Bertram call and she spun on her heels to stare at the newest deckhand, who dodged several crewmembers with muttered apologies. Kris stared at him, wondering why he was even trying to engage her in a conversation. "Fighting. Captain's Quarters."

Kris raised her eyebrows. "What?"

Bertram took a deep breath, before he answered her question. "Officer Rigsby and the Captain are fighting in your quarters. Teresa's involved…" Kris didn't let Bertram finish, as she ran toward the Captain's Quarters and burst through the double doors. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Jane holding Rigsby against the wall and repeatedly slamming his fists into the officer's face.

Instead of separating them both, she went straight to Lisbon. Lisbon's green eyes were wide and her body was shaking slightly, while her eyes locked on the fight occurring between Jane and Rigsby.

"Come on, dear." Kris muttered softly, as she gently lowered her hand onto Lisbon's shoulder. The ex-first mate didn't move or glance away from the violent fighting, which made Kris grasp onto her upper arm and maneuver her from the room. Lisbon said nothing, until Kris let go of her arm and had sat her down on the bed.

After that, Lisbon screamed.

Without Lewis around, she had no idea what she was doing; but she had to try something. Kris gently grabbed Lisbon and moved her head onto her shoulder, where Kris let her scream, but eventually the screaming turned to sobs. Kris put her hand against Lisbon's back, rubbed gently and hummed softly in an attempt to calm the ex-first mate.

Kris felt Lisbon's grip tighten around her waist. "I'm not going to let you go, dear. I've got you." She only heard Lisbon sob more and she clenched her teeth. Kris was going to kill them! The two idiots had ruined everything and she was going to give them exactly what they deserved! "Do you want to lie down, sweets?" She felt Lisbon nod against her shoulder and Kris maneuvered her into lying position.

Lisbon fell asleep almost immediately, as Kris held her hand.

_Out of all the stupid things that they could have done_, Kris raged silently, _they had to start a fight _right _in front of her! _She tried to take a few deep breaths to calm her anger, but it didn't work. Rigsby and Jane deserved a lecture and she would give them one, however, Lisbon came first. If she left before anybody was with Lisbon, she almost feared that the ex-first mate would do something stupid.

"How is she doing?" Bertram asked, quietly stepping into the room. Kris glanced up at him, seeing the bruises across his skin from the fight and frowned.

"She's asleep now." Kris explained. "I had to stop her from screaming." She watched James frown, before Lewis stepped into the room and took to Lisbon's other side. "What exactly happened in there, Lewis?"

Lewis blinked. "The Captain wanted to see us about keeping Crewmember Bertram away from Teresa. Teresa didn't like the idea and neither did Officer Rigsby. Captain Jane swung his fist first, but Officer Rigsby got himself hit." Kris clenched one fist together and Bertram stepped closer.

"If you want to scream at them, we'll stay here." She watched Bertram place his lips against Lisbon's forehead and she nodded at him.

"Hold her hand and don't let go." Kris ordered, while Bertram nodded and did as she asked. "Stay here."

Instead of saying another word to either of them, she stormed back onto the deck and found Rigsby and Jane standing on both sides of Cho. Jane looked no worse for wear; the bruises across his face would most likely fade in a few weeks. Rigsby, on the other hand, would probably carry his bruises for months (along with the bleeding cut on his cheek, from where Jane had apparently brought his sword out).

"Do you believe this…?" Kris backhanded Jane across the face, leaving him unable to finish his sentence, before she turned to Rigsby and slammed her fist into face. Both men held tight to their faces in disbelief. Cho stared on and Kris motioned for him to back away, which he did.

"What in the _hell _were you two thinking?" Kris watched both of their mouths start moving, which only set her off even more. "No! I don't even want to hear it, because you weren't thinking! Do you ever think? No. You both put your fucking grudges before everything else and then, you decided to have a bitch fight in front of our _traumatized _and healing friend!" She held her arms out, gesturing toward them both wildly. "I had to drag her out of there, comatose, before she started to scream! She was screaming, because you two couldn't control yourselves!"

She paused to take a deep breath, before she started in again. "Lewis thought Grace was the one who set Lisbon, months ago, back in healing. But no! It was you two!" She had absolutely no doubts that Lisbon wasn't going to escape from this without some issue. "I told you both from the very beginning to work this shit out. I said it countless times to put the past in the past and just work together, because we had a friend who needed our help! That Lisbon was the only person who mattered! But what in the hell do you both do? You decide to bitch slap each other, over a few pointless words!"

"Kris…"

She wasn't about to let him talk. "Tell me guys, wasn't it worth it? Was it worth the cuts you two have? The bruising? Was it worth losing my trust in you both?" Kris watched Rigsby close his mouth, but she wasn't finished just yet. "Let me tell you, you both are in hot water with, not just me, but with this entire crew." Her eyes shot to Cho, who nodded in silent agreement. "You have lost the respect of all of those around you and I should strip you both of your titles! You both aren't even worthy enough to call yourselves Officers! For that, you both shall feel my wrath. You just hurt my best friend; the only one in the world who matters, to me."

Kris paused to turn to Jane, stood in silence. "So _Patrick_," his eyes shot to hers, "here's your ring!" Kris pulled his engagement ring off her finger, held it to his face and then tossed it aside. From the corner of her vision, she could see Rigsby's eyes growing wide. "Go and get it, you hound! Go fetch! Oh wait, you can't! Because you can't even follow a simple to order to put these miniscule quarrels to rest! I have tried to smooth the path between both sides, I have! You both are just immature and pathetic." She pinched the bridge of her nose, before she turned to Rigsby. "Wayne! You are officially stripped of your title as my right hand, and you will now be on night duty until our arrival on Cannibal Cove."

She watched Rigsby's jaw drop. "But, Kris…"

Kris put her finger in front of his face. "If I haven't gotten a decent night's sleep in almost three months, then neither with you. If I hear you complaining, then I will add more unpleasant duties to this list." She clenched her fists together to keep from hitting them again. "As for me, I will be staying with Lisbon or in my old cot for the next few weeks and _James_ will now be my right hand."

It was Jane's turn for his jaw to drop.

"I do _not _want to hear a single word out of your damned mouths! As far as I'm concerned, you both should be kicked off this ship for what you have done and I want nothing to do with either of you!" She thought about smacking them again, but she knew it wasn't worth it. If both men didn't have scars after this, especially due to her sharp nails, she would gladly give them some. "You have lost _both _my respect and my trust. I have had it! You do this again, in front of her or in front of me, I will, personally send Governor Gale Bertram after both of your asses; as I am sure he would just love a gift." She turned on her heels, but not before glancing at them both one last time. "Goodnight, children."


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **If I owned _The Mentalist_, characters would find themselves in trouble more often. However, I do own the rights to Kristina Saffron, Lewis Charles and James Bertram.

Thank you to Guest and Frogster for reviewing! It's seriously appreciated!

* * *

Jane heard Cho scratching his quill into the pages of the logbook, as he steered the Scarlet Oasis toward the Cannibal Cove port. He kept his attention divided between the choppy waters of Cannibal Cove and the behaviors of Bertram and Kris, who both stood together below the quarterdeck.

"She looks happy," Jane idly commented, before he heard Cho's quill pause. He didn't turn around to glance at Cho. "I…"

"No," Cho interrupted and Jane grimaced. "You're going to stay here, steer the ship, and lead us safely onto Governor Stiles' island." The scratching of the quill returned and Jane turned to stare at Cho, who had his head tilted toward the aged logbook.

"I need to confer with my first mate."

"Your first mate doesn't want to confer with you," Cho said, still writing in his logbook. "She's still upset with you and Rigsby." Jane continued to grimace. His and Rigsby's little squabble hadn't done anything to Lisbon, aside from ruin his engagement to Kris and forcing her closer to James Bertram. "And I'd stay away from James also, Jane."

Jane eyed Cho. "What do you take me for, Cho? An idiot."

"Yes," Cho replied. Jane turned to focus his attention on the water again, clenching his hands against the wheel tightly. "If you truly loved her, you wouldn't have pushed her toward James." Jane's knuckles went white. "If you had truly loved her, you wouldn't have started a fight with Lisbon there." He heard Cho slam the logbook shut and Jane rolled his eyes, waiting for Cho's lecture. "You not only jeopardized your relationship with half this crew, you also risked the relationship between Kris and Lisbon. All of us are committed to helping Lisbon overcome her issues at the present moment, while you only seem bent on destroying our progress."

"Lisbon's fine," Jane dismissed, rolling his eyes again. "She's already starting to bounce back again, see." He removed one of his hands from the wheel to motion toward Lisbon, who stood next to Lewis.

"Doesn't look fine to me," Cho answered. "She, like Kris, looks exhausted." Jane took another glance at Lisbon, before he glanced to Kris.

"I don't see anything wrong."

"She's also not eating again," Cho said. "You can't expect her to train Van Pelt if she's losing strength and energy, Jane." Jane remained quiet. "Also, steer the ship. I'd rather we not damage the ship any further."

Jane quickly moved his eyes toward the choppy waters and the port, which he narrowly avoided ramming the ship into with a long jerk of the wheel. He cursed under his breath and heard Kris calling out orders from below.

"At this point, Jane, you're only going to push her further away." Jane ignored Cho's words, as he focused his attention on the crew heeding Kris' yelled orders from down below. He eyed Lisbon again, noticing that she had moved closer to Bertram, who had wrapped his arm around the ex-first mate and kept her close to his chest.

_Well, look at that_.

If he weren't trying to seem focused, he would have smirked at the budding relationshipbetween Lisbon and Bertram. Although, he didn't approve of the closeness between Bertram and Lisbon, he could see the value in having them both occupy the other. If Lisbon was engaging in a sexual relationship with Bertram, he knew he wouldn't have to worry about Bertram touching _his _woman. James Bertram was many things, in his opinion, but he had too high of a moral system to cheat.

While Kris had tossed away his engagement ring three months ago, the crew didn't know that he and she had continued being intimate for at least six weeks after her entire scream fest. He had instigated it after profusely apologizing for his behavior and she had taken him back, because she needed him. Of course, she refused to discuss the terms of their "relationship", which to her were apparently over; the idea of their possible engagement was dashed and beyond a little casual sex, Kris didn't want anything else from him.

"…go around hounding her, she'll walk away," Cho finished and Jane swiftly directed the ship into the port. He did not intend to listen to Cho's lecture, as it reminded him of Rigsby's angry words earlier to him.

_I'd be angry if I was exhausted too though_, Jane thought with a slight smirk. Kris's decision to strip Rigsby of his right hand status had caused the former crewmember to become practically a swabbie with no title, what so ever. He did all of the jobs that Bertram had previously done, which left Rigsby with very little free time for his girlfriend and for his own personal needs.

"Welcome back, Patrick!" Jane heard Governor Bret Stiles' voice from the port and he stepped to the railing to glance down at his good friend. "I have to be honest with you; I was quite surprised to receive your letter asking for amnesty, especially for killing someone that you've been planning to kill for years."

Jane beamed down at Stiles. He knew his crew was quite weary with the idea of returningto Cannibal Cove after Red John's demise, but Bret Stiles had asked them all to come back after they had found Lisbon. "How are you doing today, Bret? Finding the gift I sent along with the letter to be quite enjoyable, I hope?"

Stiles laughed. "I am excellent and of course, Patrick! Not many people appreciate fine cannibalistic art anymore." Jane felt Cho's gaze on him, which made him chuckle. "Allow for me to step aboard your lovely vessel, my friend. My eyes are not as good as they used to be and I need to see why amnesty was required."

"Let him onto the ship," Jane ordered, as he hurried down the steps and stood atop the main deck. Stiles joined him moments later, smiling and shaking his hand with enthusiasm in his usual suit.

"Congratulations are in order for you having killed Red John," Stiles said, while Jane continued to beam. "I didn't think I'd see a world without Red John in it, to be quite honest with you."

"I knew I'd eventually kill him, Bret," Jane answered, smiling. "However, I never anticipated one of my own crewmembers becoming involved in the entire mess." He moved his expression into a frown and Jane watched Stiles turn to face Lisbon, who seemed comfortable within Bertram's arms.

"Teresa, my dear," Stiles greeted, extending one of his hands out toward her. Jane watched Lisbon move from Bertram's grasp and take Stiles' offered hand with a small smile. "How are you doing? I was horrified to hear about your treatment at the hands of Red John, Teresa."

"I'm doing fine, Governor…"

"We've been over this many times, Teresa. Please call me Bret." Jane furrowed his brows in confusion. In all of the visits that they had made to Cannibal Cove, Stiles had never once requested Lisbon to call him by his first name. "We are, after all, on the same side of things here."

Jane caught sight of Lisbon's slightly larger smile. "I suppose we are, Bret." Jane watched Stiles nod and smile, as Stiles kept hold of her hand. "Please allow me to introduce you to our newest crewmembers, Bret." Lisbon turned toward Bertram, who smiled tightly. "This is…"

"Governor James Bertram," Stiles interrupted, still with a smile. "My, how you've grown! The last time I saw you, you were this tall." Stiles placed his hand against his chest and Bertram nodded. "I can't say that the mention of your name in Patrick's letter didn't catch my attention. Your father was, aside from Captain Red John, one of the antagonists to the Scarlet Oasis."

"I'm here for my sister, sir."

"Ah, yes. The lovely Grace Van Pelt," Stiles said, before he glanced around the deck. "Where is she?"

Jane watched Lisbon bite her lip. "Grace is downstairs, Bret. I can…"

"Nonsense, Teresa, you are still recovering. You need your rest," Stiles interrupted again, smiling. Jane continued to furrow his brows. The improved relationship between Lisbon and Stiles wasn't expected, but he had a feeling he could use this to his advantage. "You clearly aren't eating enough, my dear. You and I will need to discuss your eating habits later on, as I am sure that Kristina is worried about you…"

"Obviously I'm concerned, Bret," Kris replied from next to Bertram. "She's my best friend." Jane saw Stiles turn to Kris next.

"Kristina! You look lovely, as always," Stiles complimented.

"I work out, Bret; it certainly helps," Kris answered in greeting, which caused Stiles to laugh. "How is the cannibal business going since Red John is no longer around?"

"Very well, actually. The navy enjoys sending prisoners to our island, so we always have something going on around here."

"Well, that's nice to hear," Kris said and Jane could hear the uncertainty in her voice. "I suppose you aren't hungry then?"

"I could do with a little snack," Stiles replied. Jane watched Kris's eyes grow wide, as she took a step back. "Calm down, Kristina. You all are under my protection, so none of you will become the appetizer during your stay." A collective sigh went through the group, before Stiles turned back to Jane. "How is your relationship with Kristina?"

From the corner of his vision, Jane watched Kris walk away. "She and I are doing quite fine, Bret. I proposed to her…"

"And I last heard that she rejected you, as she's done before," Stiles gave, "It's not easy to keep a woman like that, especially when you only offer her one thing." Jane blinked in Stiles direction. He had offered Kris more than sex, but apparently, engagement didn't matter to anyone anymore. "Don't worry though, Patrick. There are plenty of fish in the sea; you will find another woman worthy of your time, trust me. She just wasn't your match." He watched Stiles glance down at Lisbon, before glancing back up at Jane.

Jane eyed Lisbon. "You're right, Bret." He smiled slightly at Lisbon, who only stared at Stiles.

"How was Ms. Haverstraw, Mr. Bertram?" Stiles asked Bertram. Bertram turned to glance at Stiles.

"She's dead, sir."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Bertram," Stiles replied, frowning. "I heard she was quite fond of you, even with everything between you and Kristina." Jane watched Bertram cross his arms against his chest. "I'm sure you'll also find another woman; she might even be right here on the ship." Stiles glanced down at Lisbon again with a smile and Jane grimaced. Was Bertram trying to take every woman he had interest in away from him? First Kris and now Lisbon? Jane had to get rid of the ex-governor and staring at Stiles and Lisbon, he knew he'd use their relationship to accomplish a few goals. He'd not only get rid of Bertram, but he'd also get Kris back.

"Why are you greeting us yourself today, Bret?" Jane questioned, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "Usually, you have your right hand meeting us. Is something going on that we're not aware of?"

"I was under the assumption from your letter that you all needed asylum," Stiles said. "Governor Bertram is hunting for you all, especially as you kidnapped his daughter…"

"You did what?" Bertram asked, turning to stare at Jane.

"We didn't kidnap her," Jane explained. "Rigsby found her…"

Jane heard Rigsby yawn from behind him. "I did find her. Her father threw her out onto the streets, Governor."

Stiles frowned. "You look exhausted, Wayne." Stiles turned back to Jane. "Do none of your officers sleep anymore? The only ones who look rested are yourself and Kimball."

"Good genes," Cho answered, which had Stiles chuckling.

"Always one for the humor, Kimball," Stiles gave.

"I try."

"Anyway, Governor Bertram is looking for information on you all. Your request for amnesty has been granted, which means I will keep mum on telling your location details to other governors."

"So, no letters to Governor Wainwright?"

"No letters, unless you specifically want them," Stiles replied. "I'd rather keep you all safe, as I do genuinely like you all."

Jane beamed again. "I always knew you were a good person, Bret."

"Thank you, Patrick. I appreciate comments like this," Stiles said.

"Alright, ladies," Jane heard Kris renter the conversation from behind him. "Are we staying here? Or are we going onto the island?"

"I'm quite insulted, Kristina…"

"Suck it up, Governor," Kris snapped. "Since you all enjoy discussing my sexual exploits with each other, I'm sure you all can carry my luggage." Jane watched Kris gesture toward a pile of trunks. "Half of those are mine, half of those are Lisbon's. Get to work." Kris left the ship, grabbing Lisbon's hand and taking her away from Stiles.

Stiles stared down at the trunks. "Hm. It seems you all will have some heavy lifting to do."

"I suppose Bertram and Rigsby do," Jane ordered the two men, motioning them both toward the trunks. "Go ahead men. It's about a five mile hike to the Governor's manor, and we'll need to make it before nightfall." Rigsby shot him glare, as Bertram stepped over to the trunks and lifted one up from the floor. "Bret, how will living arrangements work this time around? You've always given rooms to the officers, but Lisbon…"

"Teresa is under my care now," Stiles interrupted again. Jane opened his mouth to interrupt, when Stiles threw up his hand and continued. "I have already prepared the rooms for Teresa, the officers, Mr. Bertram and Ms. Van Pelt, Patrick. I knew you would be arriving shortly, so this wasn't any trouble at all."

"Kristina won't enjoy this," Bertram replied and Jane eyed him, begrudgingly agreeing with him. Kris had taken it upon herself to take care of Lisbon, and Kris most certainly wouldn't enjoy being replaced by a cannibal. "Teresa has been under her care for the past year or so. If you take Teresa away from her or me, you'll have a fight on your hands."

"I don't plan on harming Teresa, Mr. Bertram. Much like you and Kristina, Teresa's current state of wellbeing concerns me. If you worry that I'm going to eat her, Mr. Bertram, you should be made aware that I tend not to end my wards." Stiles flashed his teeth toward them all and Jane eyed Stiles, grimacing. "I also have a master suite set aside for Teresa, who could use a little pampering to get back to her usual self. Don't worry about her; she's in good hands."

"She doesn't need any more stress," Jane said. "If you hurt her, you'll be dealing with several swords."

"And here I was," Stiles started, "believing you didn't care about her, Patrick. I've heard stories of your antics in the wake of her disappearance and let me tell you, I am not very pleased with you." Jane blinked. What antics? He had only slept with Kris. It wasn't as if he had killed thousands of people. "In order to keep Teresa calm, I ask that only Mr. Bertram and Kristina be allowed to visit with her."

"Bret! You can't be serious," Jane exclaimed. "I'm her Captain! She needs structure…"

"She _needs _a good vacation from you, Patrick," Stiles argued. "I very rarely step into your ship affairs, but this is an emergency. Several individuals are concerned with Teresa's wellbeing upon this ship and with her being so…fragile…I would hate to see her parish, much like Red John. Someone deserves a happy ending here, Patrick. Wouldn't you agree?"

Jane gritted his teeth together. "Lisbon is _fine_, Bret."

"She isn't fine, Patrick," Bertram challenged and Jane stepped closer to him, clenching his hands together. "She's frail, thin, and she's scared. Your fight with Rigsby did more damage than you think it did…"

"She's not that weak considering your activities with her, Bertram," it was Jane's turn to argue with a smirk. "I'm not the problem; it's obviously you." Jane continued to smirk. "How do you think Kris will feel about that, Bertram? Your presence already frets on her mind, but now you're doing _this_? Some friends you two are." Jane turned to Stiles, who seemed perplexed. "Bret, you are making a grave mistake. If you care for my first mate, you would do best to change your mind."

Jane watched Bertram furrow his dark brows. "Of course, this is about you and your sexual drive with Kristina. She left you, get over it." Jane lost his smirk to glare at Bertram.

"She left you also," Jane shot back. "At least I never left her." Jane watched Bertram set down one of the trunks. "I'm sure Kris will appreciate us fighting. Maybe she'll even strip you of your title again and you'll be like Rigsby; worthless and pathetic."

"Hey!" Rigsby exclaimed. Jane watched Bertram glance at Rigsby.

"Ignore him, Wayne. He's only trying to start a fight, so Kristina will come back to him. Pretty low for a pirate captain, who apparently killed Red John." Jane bared his teeth in anger.

"It's pretty low that you resorted to listening to Daddy for three years," Jane told him, he wasn't caring that Stiles was listening or that the crew was watching. _Nobody _questioned his part in Red John's death without repercussions. "It is pretty low that you falsified your love for Kris and left your sister to rot in a room, where she was continuously beaten. It is pretty low that you became your father's spawn." Jane smirked. "It is pretty low that you've gone from a wealthy governor to a deckhand, who takes orders from pirates; pirates, that by the way, killed the man your father worked for. That is what is pretty low, Bertram." Bertram fell silent. "On second thought, Bret. Amnesty is no longer required for the Bertram's, I'm sure they can handle themselves."

Jane said nothing more, as he hurried from the ship.

_Jane—1, Bertram—0_, Jane thought, knowing he had won that round with the ex-governor.

* * *

"I'm home!" Kris heard Jane cry from the foyer of Stiles' Governor Manor. Kris rolled her eyes from the sitting room that one of the help had presented her and Lisbon with upon their arrival to the home. She stood up slowly from the couch, hoping not to wake Lisbon, who had fallen asleep shortly after their arrival and she hurried to meet Jane. "Hello, Kris!" Kris watched him try to wrap his arms around her, which made her step backwards.

"Will you keep your voice down?" Kris asked him, annoyed. She didn't want a hug from him. "Lisbon's trying to sleep and I'd rather her be fully rested, as your little argument with Rigsby has messed up her sleeping patterns."

Jane waved off her. "Meh. Lisbon will be fine." She watched him step closer again, as he extended his arms toward her in another hug. She crossed her arms against her chest and glared at him. "I'm sorry that I lied about our relationship to Stiles. I just didn't want him knowing that we weren't together anymore."

"I don't care about that," Kris informed him. "I don't want to be hugged right now. I've had a long walk and I'm exhausted, and you smell." Kris crinkled her nose at the scent of sweat hanging off him. "What did you do? Go for a bath in the swamp? You need to clean yourself up."

"How about you help me?" Jane asked her, wiggling his eyebrows. Kris pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. Everything with him had to be a sexual comment; she was bad, but he just wanted sex from everything with two legs. "I hear conserving water is good, Kris."

"Jane, cut it out," Kris said. She had no plans on going back to Jane, as he had destroyed their relationship with the fight between himself and Rigsby. "Where are the others?"

"I don't know," Jane offered with a shrug. "They're coming, I guess. I left them with your luggage…" Kris waved him off and turned on her heels to return into the sitting room, where Lisbon had curled into herself. She heard Jane's footsteps behind her. "Please, Jane. I want Lisbon to sleep; she's already frightened of you."

"She's frightened of her own shadow, Kris," she heard Jane argue from behind her, quietly. Kris rolled her eyes and glanced at him again, still crossing her arms against her chest. "If you want her to heal, you need to stop babying her. She's not five, she's…"

"You're an ass, Jane," Kris threw, trying to keep her voice in a bare whisper. "She was kidnapped by Red John and all you can do is parade yourself around like a martyr." She shook her head with a snort. "I'm glad I decided not to marry you, truly. I can't even imagine how you would have treated me if I had become Mrs. Jane." Jane lost his smile.

"I truly loved you, Kris…"

"Stop it, Jane. Just stop it. I'm sick and tired of you saying, "I love you". I left you for a reason, and you need to move on. I'm not coming back…"

"You said that before and what happened next? You ended up in my bed, crying out my name. Give it another week and I'm sure you'll be back."

Kris narrowed her eyes. "Who said I wasn't faking it? Everyone has a low moment in his or her life and that was mine. Sorry, Jane." She turned back on her heels. Fighting with Jane wasn't something she wanted to do, especially within Stiles' home. She did believe in the idea of decorum, even if Jane thought decorum was arguing with everything.

"That's not what you said in my bed the other night, Kris." Kris bit her tongue to keep from shouting at him for his lies. She knew Jane enjoyed stretching the truth, but sometimes, his stretching was completely ridiculous and it made her want to kill him. "How about we have a repeat performance, Kris?" She felt his touch at her shoulder and she yanked herself away from him.

"Don't you fucking touch me," Kris spat. "I don't want you around me right now. Go away, before I decide to make good use of my sword." Her hand went toward her scabbard, before she moved from the sitting room and stepped back into the foyer, only to run into James. James held one of her trunks and eagerly, she took it from him and set it down on the floor, before she felt Jane's hand on her rear. "Get your hand off me. I wasn't kidding about using my sword on you, Jane."

"You heard her, Patrick," James said and Kris nodded her thanks toward him. Being her right hand man, their relationship had certainly progressed into a tentative friendship and while she couldn't completely trust him yet, she knew he had her back. "If Kristina doesn't want to be touched, you need to listen to her…"

"You didn't listen when she told you to leave."

Kris clenched her fists together. "We are not on the ship anymore. Both of you cut it out. You can squabble later, but for now, we have more important things to do."

"Yeah, like you," Jane commented and Kris pulled out her sword.

"Kristina," Kris heard Stiles from behind her. "I would prefer that you not get any blood on my new rug, especially as cleaning said rug would be more than your ship is currently worth." Kris glanced down at the white rug with a raised brow.

"Doubtful," Kris dismissed him. "It's an ugly rug; I'm sure red is all the rage in cannibalistic decorating." She slowly put her gun away and turned to face Stiles, who crossed his arms against his chest. "What?" The blue stare from Stiles unnerved her, especially with the odd smile on his face. She couldn't understand why he was smiling at her, but she had a feeling that she'd know soon enough. "Did I do something odd and nobody told me again? Damn, there goes my creditability."

"Nothing like that, Kristina. I'm just glad to see us all back together again, especially after a harrowing last few months," Stiles responded and his smile made her wonder if he was lying. She had never been good at detecting lies, but something about the Governor wasn't setting right with her. His earlier buddy-buddy status with Lisbon had put her on edge and his comment, "we're on the same side" had made Kris wonder _what side_. The side of keeping Lisbon away from Jane? Or the side of killing Red John? Either way, Kris knew she had to keep an eye on Stiles and Lisbon. She wasn't so much worried about Lisbon, as she was about Bret's influence in Lisbon's life. "Where's Teresa, Kristina? I'd like to give her a tour of her new bedroom…"

"She's currently sleeping and you can leave her alone until she wakes," Kris said. "I'm sure the couch is just as comfortable as a new bed."

"I'll just lift her, Kristina. She most certainly looks light enough."

"Hell no," Kris argued, stepping close to Stiles. "If you lift her, she'll scream! Red John's methods, if you hadn't noticed, completely did a number on her; and I refuse to let her be traumatized anymore."

Stiles waved her words away. "Nonsense. Teresa and I have an unspoken bond and while on this island, she is under my protection…" Kris snorted again. Stiles was an idiot for suggesting that anyone other than herself or James could take care of Lisbon. Instead of moving away from him, she stepped in his way and pulled out her sword.

"I'm not kidding, Stiles," Kris told him. "You touch her; you'll be cleaning your own blood from your carpet."

"Touchy, touchy," Stiles gave. She watched him throw his arms up in the air, as if he were surrendering to her threat. "Before you cut off my hand, Kristina, you should be made aware that I have interest in Teresa's wellbeing. I never wanted Red John to kidnap her, as I've always been fond of her." Kris stared at him. "You and Mr. Bertram have done an excellent job, but there is only so much you can do. Teresa needs more help and unless you allow me to provide it to her, she'll fall into a pit of despair."

Kris continued to eye him. Stiles _had _a valid point. They had tried everything to return Lisbon back to her state prior to Red John's kidnapping, but so far, they kept running into the same wall repeatedly. Lisbon's refusal to discuss what had happened to her on the Red Rum. She quickly glanced at James, who mirrored her expression. "What did you have in mind, Bret?"

"I'm glad you asked, Kristina," Stiles replied, brightly. "I've drawn up several plans for Teresa, don't you worry. I've bought her a new wardrobe, which she will fit into by the end of her stay with me. I've had a sword custom made for her, which means she can give her old sword to Ms. Van Pelt." Kris wasn't about to ask him how he knew Lisbon was training Grace, as she doubted she was ready for the answer. "My chefs are also prepared to place her on a liquid diet, as her stomach is probably too sensitive to handle real food. And lastly," his eyes went to hers, "I've asked to keep everyone away from her, aside from yourself, myself and Mr. Bertram. All three of us will need to help her recover, as I'm afraid Patrick is out to ruin her."

"Ruin her?" Jane asked. "I've done everything I can to possibly help her! I've given her food, I've given her a room, and I've given her a job…"

"You've also given her several ulcers and a reason to fear us all," James interrupted. "So, on both of our behalves, Governor Stiles; thank you."

Stiles nodded, smiling. "It's no problem, Mr. Bertram. I'm just a concerned friend, who believes Teresa needs better than what Patrick Jane can give her."

"I'm still in the room, just so you all know."

"Oh, we know," Stiles responded. "I just don't care." He stared toward the sitting room and Kris hurried after him, her hand still on her sword. If Lisbon screamed, her sword would meet his chest. She watched him carefully bend over and pick Lisbon up from the couch; the young woman merely stirred in his arms, opened her eyes and rested her head against his chest. Kris's jaw almost dropped. "I'm told I have a certain charm about me, Kristina. You shouldn't be so surprised that Teresa is quiet around me, especially as she trusts me to take care of her. Now, if you'd all like to follow me, I can show you to your individual rooms."

"Sure," Kris said. She didn't want to argue with Stiles either, especially as the argument seemed rather pointless. Stiles seemed to know what he was doing with Lisbon, but until she could trust him completely, she knew she'd be lingering around and trying to figure out what Stiles apparently knew. "But we all head to Lisbon's bedroom together. She needs her sleep more than I need a bed, Bret."

"Of course, Kristina." With Lisbon in his arms, Bret led them all up the spiral staircase and swept them all down one long hallway. Kris hurried to keep up with him, as she tried to survey her surroundings. Stiles kept his home warmly decorated, which was an odd thought to her; most cannibals, she had always assumed, had sparse items and lived in caves. Stiles had to be the only civilized cannibal, oddly enough. Stiles stopped at a door located at the end of the hallway, before he opened the door and revealed another set of stairs.

"Do you really think she'll be able to climb all of these steps?" James inquired and Kris nodded in agreement. Stiles turned his head to glance at them, his foot already on the first step.

"Teresa needs to rebuild her strength. She needs to start climbing and building muscle in her legs again, as I'm positive that the Red Rum didn't allow for her to use her legs." Kris furrowed her brows. "I know the methods of torture on the Red Rum, Kristina. I'm sure you saw how small the brigs were; do you think Teresa spent any of her time standing up? Or rebuilding the muscle in her legs?" Kris shook her head slowly, remembering the strong stench of urine within the brig and the sight of what they had all thought to be Lisbon's faceless corpse. "Red John favored psychological torture, unfortunately. He enjoyed using your own mind against you; as he could turn almost anyone against themselves."

"Lisbon's shown no signs of psychological torture," Jane commented and Kris turned to glance at him. "She's scared, yes, but she doesn't seem to scream someone who suffered psychological torture."

"I have to agree with Jane on this one," Kris agreed. Lisbon's behavior, for the most part, reminded her of someone who was trying to get over the memories of whatever the twisted crew had done to her. Her behavior wasn't showing _any _sign of a woman, who had gone through a psychological hell. "David said his punishments were derived from the Scarlet Oasis, which translates as the Red Rum. He never used psychological torture on me, Bret."

"Ah, but Teresa's reluctance to discuss her experience on the Red Rum has you all troubled. She's quiet and more withdrawn, isn't she? Something you never went through, Kristina? Mr. Bertram?"

"My father," Kris heard James quietly explain. "He enjoyed using any item he could wrap his hands around to punish me as a child." Kris opened her mouth to say something to him, but he continued before she could say anything more. "Grace and I learned to respect him through fear, not because he could psychologically pollute us."

"Red John was never that talented and Craig O'Laughlin was an idiot, working for a spineless pirate captain," Jane gave. "O'Laughlin knew nothing of Red John's methods and Red John thought he knew how to manipulate the feelings of others." Kris watched Jane shake his head. "You are intelligent, Bret. However, Red John is gone; thus, his attempts of a so-called brainwash should be gone also. Lisbon, once her strength is back, will be fine."

Stiles, in Kris's opinion, seemed unsure. "If you doubt Red John's skills, Patrick, you're quite foolish. Red John knew more than you ever did, my friend. He was a master of constructing words and poisoning others. Teresa doesn't discuss her time on the Red Rum, yes?" Kris eyed Stiles in surprise. Had Jane mentioned Lisbon's silence in his letter to Stiles? Or had Stiles already known how this whole situation was going to play out? She clenched her fists together and narrowed her eyes on Stiles. "She's traumatized, Patrick. She believes she is still on the Red Rum and unless you fix this, she will forever remain in this state. If you care about your previous first mate, you'll allow me to help her establish a baseline of reality."

Kris almost scoffed. "A baseline of reality? What is that? Where you sit her down and tell her that she's truly on the Scarlet Oasis, over and over again?" Stiles chuckled.

"Not at all, Kristina," Stiles replied, still chuckling. "Teresa needs to relearn her environment from someone, who isn't biased. To her, the Red Rum and the Scarlet Oasis are the same entity."

"We don't punish her," Kris pointed out. "Shouldn't she understand how different the Red Rum and the Scarlet Oasis are from that?" Kris glanced at the still sleeping Lisbon in Stiles' arms and she smiled at the peaceful expression on her best friend's face.

"If someone wasn't punishing her aboard the Scarlet Oasis, I could possibly agree with you," Stiles commented and Kris furrowed her brows. "You mean, you haven't noticed? She looks far worse off now." Kris scowled. Stiles was fishing for information on their treatment methods of Lisbon and she wasn't about to give him anything. Whatever they did to help Lisbon was within their own business and Stiles had no right to the events on the Scarlet Oasis. "Ah, silence. It tells more than you think it does, Patrick."

Kris glanced at Jane, who grimaced. "Just hurry up, Bret. We're all tired." Stiles smiled and nodded.

"Very well, Patrick." Stiles continued up the flight of six steps with Lisbon in his arms, before he pushed his shoulder against the door at the top of the landing and sunlight filled the hallway. Stiles entered into the room, followed by James, Jane and herself. "What do you think, Kristina?"

Kris's eyes scoured the master bedroom; Stiles had given Lisbon an airy space, all painted in white. Several large windows, obscured by white curtains decorated the areas adjacent to Lisbon's queen-sized bed, which remained covered with a drapery of black.

"It's okay," Kris lied. The bedroom that Stiles had provided for Lisbon was better than the tiny bedroom that Kris had given up to her, and Jane's dumbfounded expression told her that he was most likely thinking the same thing. "Lisbon might not enjoy her bedroom, but it's because her tastes have never been expensive." Kris watched Stiles move toward the bed, before he brushed the bed curtain aside and moved Lisbon onto the bed.

"Come now," Stiles stated, quietly. "Teresa needs her sleep. You and Mr. Bertram will have plenty of time to discuss her dislike of this splendid room later on, my friend." Kris eyed Stiles. They weren't friends, they were acquaintances and she wanted to keep it that way. "Allow me to show you all to your rooms next. I'm afraid that Teresa has the largest bedroom, as she will need the room to recover." Stiles turned on his heels and Kris continued to eye him in mistrust. She didn't know the relationship between Stiles and any of the crewmembers prior to her first meeting with him, but she had a feeling that Stiles had never taken a personal interest in Lisbon before.

Jane's expression told her he found it odd too.

"Has Stiles ever given Lisbon her own bedroom before?"

She watched Jane nod. "Prior to you and Grace, Lisbon was the only non-male crewmember. Bret did provide her with a bedroom, but it wasn't this one." She watched him shake his head. "This room, however, I'm not sure what it means."

Kris almost wanted to roll her eyes. While she was suspicious of Stiles and his closeness with Lisbon, she wasn't suspicious of how nice a room was. "At least he's not providing her with a closet-sized room. After all, I'm sure Lisbon isn't supposed to feel like a prisoner." Jane said nothing and Kris stepped in front of him, while James followed behind Stiles.

"First, I will show Mr. Bertram to his room," Stiles said, sweeping them back down the staircase and leading the group of three to a room adjacent to Lisbon's set of steps. "Go ahead and open the door." Kris glanced at James, who nodded, before he twisted the brass doorknob and opened the door to his bedroom. Kris moved to stand on her tiptoes to see past James's shoulder, only to find that his room contained a single couch and a fireplace.

Jane snickered from behind her. "Sleeping light, Bertram?"

"I don't sleep well," James explained.

"I wonder why, Mr. Bertram," Stiles commented, before he closed the door to James's room. James said nothing and Kris followed Stiles to the second door, which sat beside the door to James's room. "Go ahead and open the door, Kristina. This bedroom is yours." Kris opened the door and stared inside the medium-sized room; a bed and side door greeted her at first glance and she looked to Stiles for an explanation. "When I had this room designed years ago, I had made a minor mishap with a door placement. I was not amused, but that door is just for decoration. It does nothing and although it looks quite tacky, I thought it fit the decorum of the room later on."

"Thank you, Bret," Kris replied, moving toward her queen-sized bed. "You didn't have to house us."

"Alas I did, Kristina," Stiles answered, as he waved her words off. "You and Teresa are important. It would be ridiculous to make you all sleep upon your ship, especially with half of you being officers."

"Lisbon isn't…" Jane started.

"Teresa," Stiles began, a slight smile across his face, "needs to recover, as I know her Captain has tremendous plans for her." Kris glanced to Jane, who nodded and smiled brightly. "Now, Patrick, come along. I want to show you to your room and I think you will enjoy it." Stiles turned to exit the room with Jane on his heels, leaving James and Kris alone.

"Do you trust him?" Kris asked James, after Stiles had shut the door behind him and Jane. She met his gaze, before he slowly shook his head. "I didn't think so." She glanced away from him.

"I'm sure you've heard stories about the Governor, Kristina." Kris slowly nodded. "You and I both know how much we can trust him."

"I just hope I'm not putting too much trust in him for Lisbon's sake," Kris confessed with a frown. James said nothing and she glanced at him; he had one of his hands on his scabbard, and she nodded. Without words, she knew that he would do anything to protect Lisbon and she felt better already.


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: **Bloodletting

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing, aside from James Bertram, Kristina Saffron and Lewis Charles.

Thank you to Guest and Frogster for reviewing! You two are the best!

* * *

Rigsby eyed the broth in distaste, as he continued to twirl the spoon within the light-colored liquid. He pressed his back against the headboard and heard the faint sounds of his rumbling stomach, which caused him to rest his head against the headboard also and close his eyes. He was exhausted and all he wanted to do was sleep, but he couldn't; he was expecting Jane to call on him at any minute, and as much as he hated following the orders from the Pirate Captain, he didn't want to provoke Jane's wrath even more.

Although Jane losing Kris hadn't been his fault, Jane continued to act as if everything could be rested on his shoulders. The night watches (from Kris's punishment, prior to stepping onto Cannibal Cove) coupled with Jane's ridiculous requests (his need to have someone watching James and Kris at all moments of the day) meant that he rarely slept more than four hours a night. Rigsby had thought that things would have gotten better on Cannibal Cove, but Jane's bedroom sat next to his and Grace spent most of her spare time with Lisbon.

He went to twirl his spoon again, when someone slammed his or her fist into the door and Rigsby set the bowl aside. He stood from the bed and opened the door with a heavy sigh.

"What Captain?" He kept his gaze lowered. Jane wasn't someone he wanted to deal with, especially if the man was in a temper; and because of the events from weeks ago, Jane's temper was something he never wanted to tempt again.

Rigsby glanced up at the sound of Kris's voice. "As much as I appreciate the respect being shown to your Captain, I can tell you that I'm _not _the Captain." He watched her cross her arms against her chest. "Can I come in?"

"You're the first mate," Rigsby responded, dully. He had no antagonisms toward Kris; the first mate had only been doing her job and yelling at them for startling Lisbon was something she _should _have done. Regardless of how the fight had started, Kris had trusted them _both _to consider someone else besides themselves and they had both failed her and Lisbon. "If you want to come in, go ahead." He returned to his spot on the bed and stirred his broth again, before setting aside the bowl and waiting for Kris to dress him down again. "What did I do wrong, First Mate Saffron?" In the last few weeks of them being on Cannibal Cove together, she and he had rarely spoken five words to each other and most of the words she had to direct toward him had come from Jane.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Rigsby," Kris said and Rigsby glanced up at her in mute surprise. Kris's soft smile spoke volumes and he wondered who had forced her into talking to him, especially as both Grace and Cho had been pressuring him to apologize for his actions. "Much to my surprise, Lisbon approached me earlier about you." Rigsby continued to stare at Kris and held his breath. Stiles had banned them all from being in Lisbon's presence, which had made no sense to him. Jane was an ass, Rigsby agreed to a certain extent, but it didn't mean that _all _of them were asses toward the ex-first mate. James had spoken on his behalf to Stiles and Stiles had allowed him into Lisbon's sanctuary, only for the ex-first mate to ignore him at his apology.

_"Do you blame her for ignoring you, Wayne?" James had asked him, sitting down next to him. Rigsby had glanced at James with a frown. "You not only ruined Kristina's engagement to Patrick, but you also reminded Teresa of her stay on the Red Rum." James' words had made him roll his eyes. Whatever James thought, Kris was better off without the likes of Patrick Jane on her arm. "Teresa only wants her friends happy and she wants to feel safe again, which you threatened by punching Patrick." _

_ "Bertram!" Rigsby had tried to keep his temper with Grace's brother, but his lack of sleep had increased his irritation. "Focus on your own damned relationships. I don't need the help of someone, who left his family behind." _

_James had leveled him with a frigid stare, which he had ignored. "I did it to protect them from Red John."_

_Rigsby had snorted. "Some good that did them both! You practically gave Kris to Timothy Carter and you practically gave Grace to your father, so I have to commend you for your brilliant idea!" _

He wasn't proud of his comment to James, as James was already dealing with enough. James had to deal with the wrath of Jane, he also had to deal with the moments of emotional insecurity from Grace, who thought he was going to leave her and he had to deal with Kris's cold personality constantly.

"She said you apologized to her, which is more than Jane has done." Kris let out a sigh and Rigsby grimaced. Even prior to her kidnapping, Jane had rarely apologized to Lisbon. It was just something she took and if she had a problem with it, Jane usually somehow found himself facing the barrel of a gun once or twice. "She understands you didn't mean to scare her, but she's still worried that you'll turn out like Timothy Carter."

"I wouldn't!" Rigsby blurted and Kris eyed him. "I'm not Timothy Carter! I would never hurt Lisbon! I'm not the Red Rum, I'm not Red John and I'm not Patrick Jane!" He shot from his spot on the bed and staggered, exhausted from the lack of sleep. "Why in the world would she compare me to Carter, Kris? I'm not…I'm not…" Rigsby collapsed back onto the bed and tried to bury his head in the pillow, before he felt Kris's hand at his back. He didn't pull his face from the pillow; he merely allowed her hand to rub against his back.

"She compares me to O'Laughlin, Wayne," he heard Kris mutter. "It's not something I want to focus on, but I keep asking myself _why_. What am I doing that Craig O'Laughlin did to her?"

"You're just being there for her," Rigsby quietly reasoned. "Lisbon will eventually heal, Kris."

"I hope so." The uncertainty in Kris's voice unnerved him. Before his and Jane's fight, Kris had sounded so sure about Lisbon's recovery, but hearing that the first mate had her doubts made him fear that he had royally screwed up.

"I'm sorry, Kris. I'm…" He felt her hand rubbing against his back again.

"I know you are," Kris interrupted. "But this isn't your fault, Rigsby." He wanted to argue with her, but Kris continued to speak. "Let me handle Lisbon, you need to handle yourself and your own issues first." Rigsby pulled his head away from the pillow to stare at Kris, who sat on the edge of his bed. "You're exhausted, you're isolating yourself away from everyone, and Grace is worried sick about you. If this is all because of Lisbon, Rigsby…"

"It's not," Rigsby admitted.

"Or," Kris continued. "If any of this involves your conversation with Bertram, I can assure you that he isn't angry with you." Rigsby glanced at her. James had _told _her about the subject of their fight. If it weren't for how much it exhausted him to smile, he would have smiled at the continuing news that James and Kris were both on good terms and speaking. "I forgive you and he forgives you, Wayne. Get some sleep, okay?" He opened his mouth to argue with her, when she started to speak again. "It's an order, Rigsby. I want you to _sleep_ and I want you to _eat _properly. You can't keep running yourself into the ground, just because your Captain decides to make it his business to put every hard task on you."

Rigsby nodded, before he placed his head against the pillow again. "Okay. I'll get some sleep." The bed seemed like a good idea and if he couldn't sleep, he'd always find something else he could do in bed. "Thanks, Kris."

"Don't thank me, Rigsby." He heard Kris's voice once more. "You should be thanking Grace, who alerted Lisbon to the idea that Jane was possibly targeting you for what I decided." Rigsby said nothing. "Regardless of what he says, you're not why I decided to end our engagement." Well, he already knew that.

"I'll thank Grace right now…"

"You're going to sleep right now. Grace can wait, Rigs." Rigsby knew Kris was right. He wouldn't be able to smooth over everything with his neglected girlfriend, especially if he were dead on his feet; he wanted to explain himself to her and it made him smile that she had gone through all of this, just for him. "Night, Rigsby."

"Night, Kris."

Rigsby waited until he felt her hand disappear from his back, before he closed his eyes and waited for his thoughts to settle.

* * *

He smiled at the feel of Grace's cool lips against his forehead, as he slowly opened his eyes find Grace leaning over him. He felt a lone strand of her hair tickling at his neck and Rigsby used one of his hands to tug gently, which caused Grace to chuckle.

"Good morning, Wayne," Grace greeted, before he felt her lips on his own. He smiled into the kiss and closed his eyes; her kiss, in his opinion, was a cure to every ailment in the known world. Rigsby felt his exhaustion and small pang of hunger fade away, as he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Grace eventually pulled away and he eyed her with a frown. "Did you get plenty of sleep?"

Rigsby nodded, while he moved to rest against the headboard. Grace moved with him, until she pressed her head against his bare chest and took his hand in hers. He said nothing to her for a moment. "Did you sleep any?"

"Some," Grace said, before she fell silent.

The silence, to Rigsby, felt as if it just wouldn't end. He wanted to apologize to Grace for his behavior, for shutting her out, for being a horrible boyfriend, but he couldn't. He knew he deserved her temper, but the longer he sat in the silence, the more he wondered why Grace had helped him out in the first place. "You're here."

"Good observation, Wayne," Grace commented and Rigsby eyed the top of her head. "Where else would I be?"

"Away from me?"

He heard Grace scoff. "Don't be ridiculous!" Rigsby shook his head. "You're a good man, Wayne. I'm not going to leave you just because you argued with Jane; I'm also not going to leave you, just because you gave Stiles the trouble of finding me an extra room." He watched her head move slightly, until her eyes met his. "I'm not mad at you."

"You should be, Grace."

"Do you _want _me to yell you at you? Do you want me to tell you how horrible you are?" Grace asked him, scowling. "In the time we've been dating, you've never locked me away or raised a hand toward me."

"I would never lay a hand to you, Grace," Rigsby replied, wrapping his arm around Grace. The mere thought of turning out like his father was enough to turn him away from any potential violence, especially as Grace deserved better than what her father had given to her. "I love you, so why would I put a hand to you?" Grace's scowl became a slight smile.

"Exactly, Wayne. You shut me out for a little while, but this was expected."

"It was?" Rigsby was confused. Cho had called him an idiot for shutting Grace out, especially when she seemed to be the only female crewmember that would even associate herself with him. He hadn't listened, mainly because he wanted to get over his issues with Kris and Jane first. "I'm truly sorry though…"

"I know you are," Grace replied, squeezing his hand. "Lisbon warned me that you'd be temperamental after Kris's words to you. I just didn't think you'd be temperamental toward me." He tightened his arm around her. "I'm not mad at you and I'm not upset with you. I'm just disappointed that you couldn't hold in your temper, especially with someone around whom…"

"I know," Rigsby agreed, regret coloring him again. "I should have never opened my mouth to Jane. I got angry and lost my temper, which caused Kris to strip me of my title." Grace nodded in response and he sighed. "Jane's a good Captain, when he isn't trying to screw us all over." Grace chuckled and he raised his eyebrow in her direction. "You know nothing about him, Grace. He's…"

"…got nothing going for him right now," Grace interrupted. "He ordered you around, because he could get away with it. You gave him all of the power, Wayne."

"Do you know how a pirate ship is supposed to work, Grace?" The Captain was supposed to _give _orders and the officers were supposed to follow them, no matter how ridiculous the orders seemed. "Jane's Captain, so I follow his every whimsical request."

"Teresa says that you can ignore him." He tried to hide his initial shock at Grace's suggestion, because the Lisbon prior to her kidnapping would have never suggested going against the Captain. Back then, it hadn't mattered that Lisbon was the acting Captain, as she still ordered to everyone to listen to Jane (unless his ideas could have gotten any of them killed). The idea that Lisbon was _suggesting _a mutiny made him nervous, as why in the world would she even attempt to go against Jane?

Rigsby shook his head. "Ignoring your pirate captain is a sign of mutiny. I may not respect Patrick Jane, but I'm not about to create an uprising on this ship."

"I thought Kris was the acting Captain."

"She is," Rigsby agreed. "The first mate usually _is _the acting Captain on this ship; however, ignoring the orders from Jane can actually see you off the ship. I'd rather not leave, only because I didn't follow his idiotic rule about something." Rigsby rolled his eyes to let Grace know exactly what he thought of that. "If I ignore Kris, all she can do is scream and recommend a course of action to Jane. If I ignore Jane, he'll throw me off the ship and trust me, you don't want to become a disgraced member of a well-known pirate ship." He watched Grace nod. "Things can be quite confusing around here, I know, but you eventually catch on."

"I'm slowly getting the hang of it all." Grace glanced down at her outfit and Rigsby grinned, seeing one of his white shirts on her. "Of course, I might be doing this all wrong." Her eyes continued to stare at the white shirt and he chuckled.

"You just want me to undress you."

"Is it that obvious?" Rigsby felt her hands press against his chest and he chuckled again. "Unless you mind…"

"Oh yes, Grace," Rigsby teased. "I mind horribly. You're such a problem."

He just hoped that the grin on his face told her that he didn't mind at all.

* * *

Jane cautiously glanced behind him, before he threw his fist against Lisbon's door with a smile. While Stiles _had _banned him from seeing her, he had no problems with going behind Stiles' back; the Governor of Cannibal Cove might have been doing them all favors, but he had no idea what Lisbon truly needed. He heard nothing from behind the door for a moment and he wondered if perhaps Lisbon and Grace had gone off on one of their little "walks" again, but eventually, he heard her light footsteps from behind the closed door.

"I…" Lisbon paused in midsentence, as she opened the door and stared at him. In an attempt to be friendly, he gave her one of his largest grins. "Jane? What are you doing here? Bret said…" Jane shook his head and met her eyes. Coming to stay with Stiles for a while had certainly done Lisbon well, as the woman almost looked as if she were back to her healthy pre-kidnapping weight. The shadows under her eyes were almost non-existent and he could actually see the muscle returning to her body, from where Stiles had apparently thought it was a good idea to train her. He continued to smile, glad to see that his best friend was starting to return to normal.

"I wanted to discuss something with you, Lisbon." He had briefly thought about bringing her a cup of tea, but the thought of sugarcoating things for her made him cringe. Lisbon had been his best friend for ten years and treating her as an invalid wasn't something he was going to start doing, just because Red John had taken and stowed her away for five months. "Can I come in?"

He watched Lisbon nod, slowly. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. Come in." Lisbon stepped back from her bedroom door and Jane followed her into the large room, before he shut the door behind them both and turn to face her. "What did you want to discuss?" He met her soft green gaze again, as she moved to sit on her bed. He continued to smile, before he approached her and took her hand in his own. "What are you…?"

"I should have said all of this at the very beginning," Jane interrupted her, squeezing her hand, "but I'm sorry for whatever happened to you on the Red Rum." Jane watched Lisbon's brows furrow. "I never wanted you to become kidnapped, Lisbon. I know I'm many things, but you have always been more important than Red John." A small smile crossed Lisbon's lips and he nodded with a frown. "I made a large mistake in my treatment of you, Lisbon. I should have been there more for you and…"

"It's okay," Lisbon replied, quietly. Jane shook his head in response; the time he had spent away from most of his crewmembers had made him think. If it hadn't been for Lisbon and her quick thinking skills, his lifespan would have been significantly shorter. She deserved better and he was going to prove that to her, no matter how long it took him. With Kris out of the picture, he knew he could devote all of his spare time to her and her slow-progressing recovery. Stiles could try to ban him from seeing her, but it wasn't going to happen. Lisbon _needed _him.

"It's not okay, Lisbon," Jane said, shaking his head again. "I destroyed our relationship in my selfish need to vanquish Red John from the world and you deserved better than that." He squeezed her hand once more. "I know I haven't given you much reason to trust me lately, but you should know that you can. I want to help you with what you're dealing with, as you shouldn't be left alone right now." Jane watched Lisbon shrug her emerald-green clad shoulder.

"I was left alone on the Red Rum, Jane," Lisbon answered with a frown. "I'm used to dealing with my own thoughts, as everyone else is too busy." He matched her frown.

"But what about Kris or Bertram?" If Stiles had known that Kris and Bertram were going to be _too _busy with their duties, why in the world had he isolated her with just them? Stiles had to know that Lisbon needed human interaction, as being stuck in a room could only do so much for one's sanity.

"Kris is the first mate now…" He watched Lisbon bite her lip. "James spends most of his spare time with Bret." Jane continued to frown.

"You'll have your first mate position back again, Lisbon," Jane promised her. Lisbon eyed him; he had many plans for his ex-first mate and one of them dealt directly with her old position on the ship. Most of the crew _did _disagree with his idea of putting her back in charge of the ship, but he knew that Stiles would have her ready for the position by the time that they departed Cannibal Cove. "Neither Kris nor I have plans of keeping the position away from you, Lisbon. We just want to make sure that you're healthy and happy first."

"I'm fine." Lisbon glanced away from him.

Jane stared at her. "You aren't fine, Lisbon. You're lying to me, because you're frightened of me." She glanced back at him, her eyebrows raised and he smiled at her naivety. "You didn't think I knew?" Her head moved slightly. "Don't tell Kris this, but I can admit when I've done wrong, and I admit that I've been worse than Red John." Lisbon opened her mouth to argue with him, but he silenced her with a look. "I've done exactly what he would have done to one of his crewmembers and you deserve better than the Scarlet Oasis, you always have." Fear crept into her green eyes and he shook his head, before wrapping one of his arms around her shoulders. Could she not trust him anymore? He had shown up, even though Stiles had clearly warned him to stay away. He was risking his own stay on Cannibal Cove by just apologizing to her and she was making things difficult for him, as usual. "I'm not sending you back to the Red Rum, my dear. We managed to destroy their ship _and _their entire crew, so you're fine. I'm merely atoning for my horrible actions toward you and I hope you can find it within your heart to truly forgive me."

He heard her snort. "You're never truly sorry though." Jane frowned at her words. Prior to Red John's death, Lisbon statement would have been on par. His apologies, especially after his drunken escapades on countless islands, had been meaningless; he would say _I'm sorry _repeatedly to her and she would accept, only for him to turn right back around and pull the same stunt again. Lisbon had the right to be weary of his words, he agreed, but it didn't mean that he wasn't going to work on changing her mind. "You said you'd put this Red John business behind you _after _you killed him, Jane. It's been how many months and you're still chasing a ghost?" He didn't answer her question. "It's no surprise that Kris left you. It's no surprise that your crew dislikes you either. You've always put yourself before them all, and they know it."

"I put you first too, Lisbon," Jane argued. "You were the first thing on my mind after O'Laughlin took you. You have no idea how angry I was after…"

"Bedding Kris was the first thing on your mind, Jane," Lisbon said, pulling away from him. He watched her stand from the bed and cross her arms against her chest. "You were drinking heavily that night. You told me to stay with Walter…"

"And you should have stayed with him!" Jane raised his voice. "You should have heeded my orders, but _no_, you didn't! You ended up being kidnapped, because you refused to listen to the orders I created out of your safety!" He stood and grabbed both of her shoulders tightly. "You knew O'Laughlin was looking for you, Lisbon. You knew that Red John was targeting one of _our _crewmembers, yet you still left!" He shook her slightly, hoping to get his point across to her. Of all the things that had scared him whilst being the Captain of the Scarlet Oasis, Lisbon's disappearance had frightened him the most. What if he had never gotten to see his best friend again? What if Red John had turned her against him? What if Lisbon decided to leave him? Regardless of how much crap he handed her, he _still _needed her also. "Red John could have killed you, Lisbon! How much more blood do you think I could handle on my hands, hm?"

"And you didn't tell me that O'Laughlin was the first mate of the Red Rum!" Lisbon shot back, struggling against his tight hold. "I had to find out from O'Laughlin, who used it against me! I don't appreciate being made into a fool, Jane." He stared at her and grasped for words, but none came. "You think you saved me, but all you did was sleep with my best friend and send me back into another hellhole." Jane flinched, as if she had actually backhanded him. He knew it wasn't uncommon knowledge that he and Kris had used her bedroom, but why in the world would she even attempt to continue bringing that up? "I want to be left alone." She tried to struggle from his hold, but he refused to let her go. "Let me go, Jane!"

"No, Lisbon," Jane said. "I'm not letting you go again." Jane moved to wrap his arms around her waist and pull her closer to his chest, which she fought against. "I didn't let you go after O'Laughlin shot you and I'm not going to let you go now, especially when you _need _a friend."

"You're not my friend, Jane," Lisbon told him. "You lost my friendship after I found out what you and Kris did in _my _bedroom." He could hear the scowl in her voice and he merely held her tighter. "You lost my friendship after you decided to take out all of your frustrations on me, and honestly, I was going to _leave _you just prior to O'Laughlin kidnapping me."

Jane glanced down at the top of her head. "Don't speak such ridiculousness. Where in the world would you have gone? It's not like you've made any other friends, aside from our crew." He felt Lisbon stop struggling against him and he smiled gently. "Good girl." Jane continued to hug her. "Kris was a distraction, Lisbon. I needed a way to pretend that you weren't important, as Red John was only targeting the most important individuals in my life; you, of course, were always the person I identified myself with one-hundred percent of the time." Lisbon said nothing. "Red John made an attempt for Kris, Lisbon. I couldn't let him have her either, because she's your best friend and I've always respected that relationship."

"Thank you for not letting him have her then," Jane heard Lisbon say from his arms and he continued to smile. "I was fine, she wouldn't have been." Kris probably could have dealt with the behaviors on the Red Rum _more _than Lisbon, especially due to the turbulent relationship with her father. "How can I ever repay you for keeping Kris safe?"

"I did it out of the kindness of my heart, Lisbon," Jane said, his smile bright as he hugged her again. "However, I could do with you taking a letter to Stiles for me." Lisbon glanced up at him from within his hold. "I'd take it to him myself, but I've got a few things to do on the ship today. I hope you understand?"

"You're the Captain." Lisbon understood. "The ship and the crew come first, I understand." She nodded. "I'll take the letter to Bret for you, Jane." Jane merely hugged her tighter.

"Thank you, Lisbon." Jane let her go and fished a wax-sealed letter from his pocket, before pushing the piece of parchment toward Lisbon with a giant smile. Lisbon accepted it without any questions and turned on her heels. "I do care about you, Lisbon. I understand why you can't forgive me right now, but I hope that you'll eventually come to see that everything I did was for you."

He watched Lisbon nod, before she disappeared from his sight completely and he couldn't help but laugh at her naivety again.


End file.
